We Are Fighters
by yattsy
Summary: Poison - noun 1. a substance with an inherent property that tends to destroy life or impair health; 2. something harmful or pernicious, as to happiness or well-being. Choose any definition, poison is still poison. It's absolutely destructive.
1. Poisoned

**A/N:** Greetings my fellow fanfictionians! If you don't know who I am, then please visit my profile since that's what its purpose is for. If you do know me, then please proceed and read this humble beginning to what will hopefully be a truly magnificent story. I've decided to abandon my other story. It wasn't going anywhere and it had not direction. But I promise this story will because I've created a very detailed outline for it and I'm very confident that it will finish amazingly. Feel free to love it, hate it or feel whatever about it but don't forget, it won't improve unless you provide me with good quality feedback. In other words, please review! Enjoy! =)

**Disclaimer: Of course, I don't own the amazing thing that is Naruto or any of its subsidiaries. But I do own this plot so please don't steal it!**

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><p><strong>Prologue<strong>

She was uprooted from the ground as if she weighed nothing more than a speck of dust. She swirled around and around in a raging tempest at a remarkable speed, unable to even lift a finger. For miles on end, the only thing she could see was blaring white light, which shouldn't be possible.

From her proximity, the blast should have blown her to smithereens and oblivion. She should have been totally decimated with no trace whatsoever. The blast created by the tailed beasts was catastrophic and yet, her body remained intact and unscathed.

She continued to swirl in circles, until a sudden calm washed over her, and her eyelids involuntarily drooped closed. As she succumbed to the deep realms of sleep, her body slowly descended towards the ground. The white light disappeared and all that encompassed her was a deep darkness.

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><p><strong>Chapter 1 Poisoned<strong>

All around her, people parted and cheered wildly for the two figures strolling proudly down the street. Both of them wore identical Konohagakure forehead protectors and annoyingly smug smirks. She rolled her eyes when the volume of the villagers' cheers increased as the two figures passed by. She was sure the amount of praise they were receiving from the Konoha citizens would inflate their already huge egos.

The first figure was a boy walking with his hands locked securely together behind his head. He was around her age and average height with spiky blond hair, slightly tanned skin, a whiskered face and friendly ocean blue eyes. He wore a bright, orange jumpsuit and matching orange pants. His name was Naruto Uzumaki and he was the only son of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, and Konoha's Red-Hot Habanero, Kushina Uzumaki. She smiled softly as a warm feeling filled her heart thinking about how loved he was by the village. He was an incredibly fierce friend and a compassionate human being. He always searched for the good in people and completely disregarded the bad. He was also quite a handsome young man, having inherited the dashing looks of his equally handsome father. After a few more seconds of staring at Naruto she shifted her gaze to the figure walking lazily to his right.

The second figure, walking with his hands stuffed coolly in his shorts' pockets, was also a boy and was—what Konoha dubbed him—Naruto's "counterpart." He was taller with blue streaked raven locks that framed the sides of his face, and spiked up at the back similar to a chicken's ass. He had smooth ivory skin and deep, smoldering onyx eyes. They were an endless abysmal black that seemed to engulf a person's soul and hold it captive to his will. He wore a navy blue, high-collared shirt and clean white shorts. His name was Sasuke Uchiha, youngest son of Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha, brother of Itachi Uchiha and a member of the Uchiha clan, one of the ninja world's most ancient and respected clans. He was dubbed as Naruto's "counterpart" because unlike Naruto's eccentric personality, he was mostly placid. Around her young girls and an unhealthy amount of older women screamed and blushed heavily as Sasuke passed by. Other than belonging to one of the most prestigious clans in the world, he was blessed with extremely good looks. But she knew there was more to a book than its front cover. Beneath Sasuke's gorgeous exterior there was a gentle spirit and a kind heart. Not to mention, he was also a gifted ninja and received the highest grades in the academy.

There should have been a third figure strutting down the streets with Naruto and Sasuke. The third figure should have been a girl with a curvaceous body, silky silver tresses, creamy porcelain skin, a rosy complexion, plump pink lips, a button nose and mesmerizing violet eyes. She was adored by all the males in Konoha for her otherworldly beauty which would have only enhanced with age. She belonged to another prestigious shinobi clan, the Senju, and was constantly requested by numerous noble families for arranged marriages. Aside from her goddess-like looks, she was a benevolent humanitarian and a strong kunoichi. She was endowed with many enviable qualities and yet she breathed her last during the final stage of the chunin exams.

Like Naruto and Sasuke, she qualified for the final portion of the exams by defeating her contender. But unlike Naruto and Sasuke, she was slipped a poison from an overly jealous girl obsessed with Sasuke right before she began her final fight. So in a sense, it was Sasuke's fault that she died a dishonorable and premature death. Unfortunately, Sasuke and the girl were betrothed and would have married once they both turned twenty-one. To add salt to the gaping wound, they both had strong feelings of attraction for each other and were constantly found laughing and smiling together; they were happy. But that was the key word, "were." Thinking about Sasuke and the girl together caused a painful thump to pound in her chest but she brushed it off as Naruto and Sasuke neared her spot among the crowd.

Her eardrums almost burst when the crowd's cheers and yells reached a crescendo and became deafening. She had to cover her ears to ensure they wouldn't explode, especially from the high pitched squeals of delight emitting from the throats of the lusting females around her. Sometimes, she cursed the two boys' attractiveness. It brought them pleasure but it brought others ear-splitting pain.

As Sasuke passed her she couldn't help but stare into his unfathomable pools of obsidian, and before she knew it their gazes were locked in an unbreakable connection. Even as he kept walking ahead he didn't break their staring contest. He simply turned his head to continue holding her soul captive. Suddenly, an amused smirk formed on his lips sparking a horrible chain reaction. His smirk caused the pitch of the screaming fan girls to raise another octave, which then caused her to cringe her eyes shut and grind her teeth together out of pure annoyance and a desire to rip their mouths off. She cracked one of her eyes open fast enough to catch what appeared to be Sasuke chuckling, judging from the way his shoulders shook uncontrollably. Impulsively, her teeth ground together with more pressure, and she began formulating a wicked plan to extract revenge for the discomfort his mere presence caused her.

She was about to roughly shove her way through the crowd and escape to the sanctity of the quiet training grounds, when a pair of strong arms swooped her up and off the ground. She barely had time to scream out of surprise before they teleported and materialized in a field of vibrant green grass and colorful sweet-smelling flowers. She closed her eyes when they teleported so she didn't see who snatched her. But upon opening them, her mouth fell open in utter shock. She would have never envisioned the person carrying her to carry her, nonetheless transport her to a lovely field littered with pretty foliage and caressed by cool gentle breezes.

"Better?" She felt a deep blush warm up her cheeks as she unashamedly ogled the man carrying her. His voice was a smooth baritone and made butterflies erupt inside of her stomach in a flurry of beating wings. He had a beautiful white smile and equally beautiful sparkling ocean blue eyes.

"Y-Yeah. I mean, yes Hokage-sama!" In her mind she berated herself for stuttering in front of the Hokage. She must look like a stupid, infatuated fan girl. To feel better she repeatedly told herself that it was perfectly natural for women to act like complete dunces around very attractive men.

"Sorry about the boys. They're a little in over themselves right now." He gave her an apologetic smile which caused her blush to deepen. She gave him a nod in response before he gently set her down onto the soft earth.

"Kami, if Naruto looks anything like you in the future, I'm going to regret never accepting his offers to take me out on dates." She realized what she said too late. She quickly averted her eyes downwards and tapped her two index fingers together similar to a certain bashful Hyuga heiress, but her rosy cheeks betrayed her.

"Well, I hope he'll look like me. I am his father." She looked up and discovered mirth filled ocean blue eyes. He appeared to be unaffected by her slightly rude comment. He truly was Naruto's father in every sense.

"I didn't know Naruto asked you out on dates. That boy, he didn't even feel the need to tell me. I'm going to talk to him later." A disappointed frown replaced his beautiful smile after his statement about Naruto.

"Ah, Hokage-sama he-"

"Please, just call me Minato." He cut her off with a bright smile once again adorning his handsome face.

"Er, Minato-san, he didn't legitimately ask me out on dates. I, er, kind of dreamed it?" She was hoping her explanation didn't sound too much like a question, which would implicate that she was delirious and didn't know what she was talking about. She could see the gears in Minato's head spinning for a second before a mischievous light lit up across his face.

"Oh, so you're attracted to Naruto so much that you dream about him."

"Eh! No, it's not like that. You see-" She was about to rant about how her relationship with Naruto wasn't near that level when Minato suddenly placed his large warm hand on top of her head and ruffled her hair.

"Haha it's alright Sakura. I understand." She felt herself staring at him with wide anxious eyes. Somehow, she felt as if the Fourth Hokage truly understood what she was talking about but quickly dispelled that notion. It wasn't possible that he knew about her secret because she hadn't told a single soul. But what if he did know? An odd sensation began to grow in the pit of her stomach. If he knew her secret, then that probably meant others with minds equally as sharp as his knew as well and that was bad. No one was allowed to know her secret. It would trigger a series of unfortunate events for her!

"Sorry, Minato-san, but I must leave now. I'm sure my mother is worrying about my whereabouts. I was just out to retrieve some ingredients she needed to cook my celebration dinner." It was true. The only reason she was out in the first place was to run an errand for her ecstatic mother. Naruto and Sasuke weren't the only genins to pass the chunin exams. She passed too and with much ease. Unfortunately, she was at the wrong place at the wrong time hence, the reason why she almost lost her hearing a few minutes ago. She bowed lowly at her waist as a sign of respect for her village leader before turning around to head back home. But she barely took her third step before Minato's baritone voice reached her ears and stopped her in her tracks.

"Sakura, wait!" She swiveled back around on her current spot to give him her full attention.

"Yes, Minato-san?" In her mind, she wondered what could be so important that he would want her to wait.

"Naruto's mother, Kushina, and I are hosting a party tonight in celebration of all the genins who passed yesterday's chunin exams. That's another reason why I rescued you from those insane girls moments ago. I want to invite you and your family to tonight's party." So that's what's so important. She searched his eyes for validity and found total genuineness. She felt uneasy about attending the party but what the hay, it was a party celebrating the genins who passed and she wasn't about to let Naruto and Sasuke steal all the glory. Plus, it was an opportunity to actually meet and become acquainted with them so she wasn't about to let it slip through her fingers.

"Sure, we'd love to attend!" A rumbling crack resembling lightning flashing across storm clouds reverberated inside her ears before suddenly appearing in front of a freshly painted red door. She quickly rotated three-hundred-and-sixty degrees to analyze her surroundings and discovered that she was standing in front of her home's front door. Confusion flooded her mind and then slowly flowed down the drain as recognition finally dawned on her and a giggle escaped past her lips. Konoha's Yellow Flash really was just a flash.

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><p>Pale yellowish rays from the moon bathed the forest of towering rocky spires with soft, gentle light. Large looming clouds drifted slowly under the stars, and cast ominous shadows on the face of the earth. The chilly night air was heavy with the scent of wet earth and metallic minerals. The melancholic tunes of nocturnal animals, singing to the round bright sphere suspended in the night sky, penetrated through the eerie silence. The atmosphere surrounding the village was tense, foreshadowing the horrific events about to unfold. A hooded figure silently scaled the village's massive stone walls and upon reaching the top, gazed at the sleeping village with a sinister smile painted onto his chalky, white face. His long slimy tongue licked his thin lips once before he descended into the great hidden village and commenced its destruction.<p> 


	2. Infected

A/N: I don't really have much to say other than this chapter is dedicated to the story's first reviewer, **SapphireRivulet**!

You guys should check out her story, _I'll Never Say._ It's a charming story about a Naruto world in medieval times. Give it a chance, I promise you'll be reading non stop!

Without further ado, please enjoy this next installment of _We Are Fighters._

__Standard disclaimer applies!

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><p><strong>Chapter 2 Infected<strong>

The slightly cool summer breeze gently whipped past her face as she steadily walked towards the Hokage's mansion. Above her, the sky was a spectacular mishmash of orange, pink and purple.

She smiled as giddy children rushed home, eager to fill up their empty stomachs with food prepared by their loving mothers. As she walked down the street, lanterns spontaneously lit up under the ledges of restaurant buildings, and blanketed the darkening street with a warm glow. The smell of hot food wafted through the air from nearby food stands, causing her mouth to involuntarily water and her stomach to loudly grumble. As the day progressed to night the citizens of Konoha settled down and prepared for a relaxing evening.

She glanced over her shoulder at her two aging parents. Her father's arm was draped lovingly around her mother's shoulders, and anchored her close to his side. Her mother had one arm wrapped around her father's midsection, while the other kept her shawl wrapped tightly around her body. They seemed to be immersed in their own world as they gazed distractedly into the interior of a restaurant they were passing by.

Those who've seen her parents, frequently tell her that she possessed more of her mom's physical traits, and inherited little of her dad's. But she strongly disagreed. Her mom was slightly on the pudgy side. She had smooth olive skin and a round face that was framed by thick, wavy dark brown locks, and offset by pretty crystal blue eyes.

Her dad on the other hand was lean but muscular. He had ivory skin, tanned and toughened from working as a construction worker – which also justified his muscular frame – under the bright rays of the sun. His hair was the rich ruby color of high quality red wine, and fell about his head in messy spikes. Her dad's muscular physique explained her own built frame, and his burgundy hair explained her straight bubble gum pink hair. But the reason why she mostly resembled her dad, and not her mom, was because she inherited her father's breathtaking eyes. They were a vivid emerald green, a notably rare eye color that fortunately thrived in her father's lineage.

However, those who were close to her parents knew that her personality undoubtedly resembled her mom's. Her mom was generally a sweet and caring woman, but times existed where her patience would diminish, or her temper would instantaneously rise due to either insult or vulgarity. Her dad was mostly calm and reserved, choosing to speak little and only when spoken to. But just because he was quiet, did it implicate meanness. He was actually very amiable and sweet, at least to her and her mom.

When she returned home that afternoon late and empty handed, she found her mom standing in the hallway with her arms folded across her chest. An annoyed expression evident on her face courtesy of her pursed lips and raised eyebrow. Her mom opened her mouth, ready to assault her with a plethora of redundant questions, but she beat her to the punch. She basically blurted out that the Hokage invited them to a party he was hosting in celebration of those who passed the chunin exams. Unsurprisingly, her mom began ranting about how it wasn't in their place to socialize with such high ranking people, and how manipulative said people could be. Fortunately, her dad was home early and came downstairs after hearing the racket. In a few minutes he was able to calm her down and persuade her to attend the party. He said it was kind of the Hokage to invite their family so they should honor his invitation and attend. Her mom gave him a hard glare before storming upstairs and slamming the door shut.

And that was how she and her parents ended up strolling down the streets towards the Hokage's mansion.

After a few more minutes of walking, the mansion finally came into view. She had never been to the housing sector of the mansion. She'd only been in the Hokage's office for when she was requested and she needed to report.

Upon reaching the front of the enormous building they paused to decide which way to go next. The Hokage hadn't really given her directions to follow so she assumed someone would be stationed at the front to provide assistance. But no one stood at the entrances or anywhere within the vicinity.

"Hmph, they give an invitation but no directions? What is that?" Her mom's irritated voice reached her ears and she shook her head. If people thought her patience ran thin, then they obviously haven't met her mom.

She stepped towards the side of the building, about to scale its walls and attempt to spot out the party from an aerial view, when boisterous laughter suddenly pierced through the warm summer air. It was coming from the back of the building. Taking a good look around her surroundings she noticed a trodden dirt path she'd never seen before. She followed where it led, up to where it disappeared around the side of the building.

"Mom, Dad, I think this trail leads to the back where the laughter's coming from. Let's check it out." At her parents' coinciding nod, she took the lead and began following the trail towards the back of the mansion.

As they continued to follow the trail, the boisterous laughter they heard minutes ago grew nearer and louder. Soon, the soft glow of hundreds of paper lanterns illuminated the trail several feet ahead and Sakura's mouth parted in awe. In all her years of living in Konoha – which wasn't much – how could she have never encountered a scene so beautiful?

The backyard of the Hokage's mansion was very spacious. Large blooming cherry blossom trees littered the yard, their long slender branches intertwined, serving as a natural canopy. Hundreds upon hundreds of warm hued paper lanterns hung from their branches. In the middle of the yard was a large circular pond and from where she was currently rooted in place, she deduced that the glittering objects in the water, reflecting the light of the lanterns, were the scales of dozens of butterfly fish. And placed several feet from the pond was a massive stone table adorned with mouthwatering, steaming plates of food. And finally, surrounding the table and scattered all across the yard were the genins who passed – and failed – accompanied by their families.

From her distance she could only pick out a few familiar faces, but she could easily identify the blond heads of Naruto and his dad, as well as the red and white fan of the Uchiha clan, which meant Sasuke and his family. Suddenly, Naruto's head swiveled in their direction as if attracted by some magnetic force. She watched as his eyes squinted in confusion before slowly lighting up with recognition.

"Hey guys, over here! Come here!" Naruto's yell had caused the other party guests to turn to his waving form before glancing in their direction. At first, their eyes scanned their position trying to pinpoint what Naruto was waving at. Then, like Naruto, their eyes gravitated towards their position, preventing them from turning around and escaping if her and her family had any thoughts to do so.

A large hand placed itself on the small of her back and gave her a gentle nudge forwards, indicating she should proceed towards the staring guests. Curse her dad for being so polite and considerate. The amount of guests present at the party was beginning to intimidate her, and nervous butterflies began fluttering wildly in her stomach. As she drew nearer to the still staring faces her desire to attend the party slowly diminished. Their stares were intense and scrutinizing, and she was positive they were judging her and her family.

From a closer view, she was able to identify more people she knew. Choji was sitting on a giant foldable chair – probably to accommodate his obese body – near the stone table, looking ready to pounce on the food any second. Shikamaru sat on Choji's right with his chin resting on the palm of his hand, his usual bored expression present on his plain face. On Shikamaru's right was Ino. She was nibbling on a stick of dango but her baby blue eyes were zeroed in on Sasuke's form several feet away. He was leaning against a cherry blossom tree near the edge of the pond with his eyes closed, and his hands stuffed into the pockets of his shorts. Sitting on a foldable chair to his right was Itachi who appeared to be in deep conversation with Kakashi.

At the pond's edge – staring at his reflection in wonder – was Akamaru. Kiba stood close behind him ready to jump in and save his cute, furry little friend in case the pooch accidentally fell in the water. Standing as still as a rock next to Kiba, was Shino. His countenance was hard to decipher thanks to his dark sunglasses which hid his eyes, and his extremely high collar which hid the lower half of his face.

Beneath two particularly large and vibrant cherry blossom trees, were foldable chairs occupied by some members of the Hyuga clan. Shy Hinata sat twiddling with her index fingers as usual, her ever present blush reddening by the second as she continued to stare longingly at Naruto. Neji was leaning against the tree near Hinata's chair with his arms folded firmly across his chest, his analytical gaze directed at something in the outlying darkness.

Opposite to where the Hyugas were seated and situated under the biggest, most ancient cherry blossom tree she'd ever seen was a smaller version of the stone table. Inscribed on the surface of the table inside a perfect circle were three symbols. She could immediately discern the fan of the Uchiha and the intricate curves of the Senju, but the third symbol confused her. It was the red swirl stitched onto the shoulder sleeve of all ninja garb, and onto the back of the ninja utility jacket. Its presence on ninja clothing already mystified her so seeing it etched onto the surface of the table absolutely baffled her. What exactly was the significance of that symbol?

Seated around the perimeter of the table was the Fourth Hokage, the Third Hokage, the Konoha Council and the clan heads. Their wives were seated nearby chitchatting, but not near enough to eavesdrop on their conversation. She was thankful that at least some of the party guests didn't care enough to scrutinize her family.

"Yo! Welcome to the best celebration party in the whole wide world, believe it!" She averted her eyes towards the source of the voice and found Naruto striding over to them with his hands clasped behind his head, and his signature smile decorating his face. Unlike some of the guests, Naruto's aura was warm and friendly. He was like a miniature sun shining his bright warm light onto the dreary world.

"Thank you for inviting me and my family!" She tried to bow as a sign of respect but was prevented by a large rough hand pushing firmly against her head. She looked up to see who stopped her from bowing and was surprised to find the smiling face of the Fourth Hokage.

"There's no need for formalities. We're all friends here. Plus, you're a victor of the chunin exams so you definitely don't need to bow." Sakura's cheeks burned red in embarrassment. Guests who initially set their gaze on her family continued to stare, but those who were initially too preoccupied spared some of their attention to see the newcomers. Even Sasuke, who had his eyes shut, opened one eye to see what was going on.

"And you must be Sakura's parents. " He turned his brilliant smile onto her parents who greeted him with a respectful 'hello' and courteous smiles. At least her dad greeted him with a courteous smile. Her mom's smile looked strained.

"Your daughter is an extremely capable kunoichi. She made the chunin exams look like a walk in the park." By now, everyone was giving their small group their undivided attention.

Choji stopped drooling over the food. Shikamaru's bored expression hinted a growing interest. Ino stopped chewing on her dango and zeroed in on her form. Both of Sasuke's eyes were open and staring intently at her, similar to earlier on the streets when he was passing by. After a few seconds he gave her a handsome smirk which caused her blush to grow hotter in response. Itachi and Kakashi ceased their conversation and gazed at her with thoughtful expressions.

Akamaru stopped looking at his reflection in the water and turned his cute little head in her direction. His master also turned his head, but he sported a devious grin that revealed sharp canines. Shino still stood as still as a statue, but she noticed that his head had turned towards her direction infinitesimally. Hinata stopped twiddling her fingers and watched her with coy eyes. Neji, on the other hand, was staring at her with such calculating eyes that she tugged her red shirt down a few inches, suddenly feeling very self conscious. The important village figures and their wives sitting at the smaller stone table also ceased their conversation and turned their heads in her direction.

"How so?" her father politely asked.

"Well, she avoided every single trap we set up. She pummeled a giant centipede all on her own. She worked harmoniously with her team and helped them to retrieve the required scroll. In her preliminary round, she effortlessly defeated Ino and left with barely any scratches and bruises." Her eyes widened when he mentioned Ino and she quickly glanced at the blonde kunoichi to see her reaction. The stick of dango she was eating was sadly wasted – the stick was split in half and the half eaten dango lay around her heels on the grass.

"Then in her final round, in a spectacular display of brute strength, she tapped the ground with the heel of her foot and caused a giant fissure to open up underneath her opponent. It encased him within a hill of earth, effectively halting all of his movements and allowing Sakura to quickly sprint up to him and press a kunai against his neck. It was the fastest forced submission I've ever seen from a kunoichi her age!" She scanned the faces of all the guests and was pleased to find they wore expressions of either envy or surprise. Even Neji who rarely displayed his emotions clearly stared at her with shocked eyes. He was probably shocked about her accomplishments in the forest of death. It wasn't everyday that a petite, frail looking kunoichi bypassed cunningly set traps and crushed a monstrous insect.

After analyzing everyone's expressions, she turned to her dad and felt a swish of elation rush through her system at seeing his extremely proud smile. Not only were her dad's eyes breathtaking, they were also expressive. She could clearly see the pride swelling in their emerald depths.

"That's my girl." He gave her a pleased smile and ruffled her hair before walking away with the Hokage, her mom still draped under his arm.

"Come on Sakura-chan, I'm gonna introduce you to the Teme!"

"W-What!" She hesitated for a second before following Naruto to the tree Sasuke was leaning on. In the short fifteen seconds it took to reach the tree, Ino's baby blue eyes burned jealous holes into the back of her head.

After her introduction to Sasuke, she decided to remain and socialize with Naruto's group. Naruto was an easy person to talk to. He smiled and laughed constantly about anything and everything. She didn't even need to talk much because he used up most of the talking time. He truly was a miniature sun.

Sasuke surprised her. She didn't expect much conversation from Sasuke Uchiha. She thought he would be reserved like other members of the Uchiha clan, but she discovered that he talked quite a lot if he was coaxed with the right words and topics. She had to bring up genjutsu to really get him babbling. At some points he even chuckled and grinned, and if she was humorous enough, he would smile with his pearly whites.

Throughout the course of the party, none of the other guests her age approached her which she didn't mind. Eventually, she would formally meet them, either by being assigned to the same mission as them or by running into them somewhere in the village. For now, she was content with associating herself with Naruto and Sasuke, plus a side of Itachi and Kakashi.

The rest of the night transitioned smoothly. The entire night was filled with smiles and laughs from everyone, including Ino who gave up trying to make sizzling holes appear on the back of her head. When her family was ready to leave, the Hokage ordered Naruto to escort them home and make sure they arrived safely. Naturally, her dad's perfect social manners rejected the offer, but the Hokage was insistent and wouldn't let them depart without Naruto. Too tired to argue, her dad accepted the offer and together with Naruto, the four of them left the party and trekked back to their townhome.

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><p>He watched from the outside as a violent cough episode racked the man's body, forcing him to momentarily place the plate of grilled meat on the countertop. His wife immediately came to his side and rubbed his back in a wide circular motion. After about ten seconds, his coughs died down and he picked up the plate and placed it on the dinner table.<p>

He smiled evilly as he watched the man and his family slowly deplete the plate of meat. The man may not have caught it, but he did. He saw the specks of crimson liquid – the elixir of life – fly from the man's open mouth and land onto the meat. To the family, the small red droplets of blood looked like a sauce or spices, giving them no reason to second guess what they were consuming.

A chuckle escaped past his thin lips. His plan was working perfectly. If this family was so oblivious, the other families with infected family members were bound to be just as oblivious. His smile grew as he watched the man's youngest offspring, an adorable boy of about four with mussed brown hair and big brown eyes happily take the last piece of meat and pop it into his small mouth. With every chew, his smile grew wider. It wouldn't be long before the entire village was crumbling under his feet.

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><p><strong>Please review! Reviews are = or alerts!<strong>


	3. Contaminated

**A/N:** Greetings! At this moment, I don't have much to say except, please read and review!

**Standard disclaimer applies**

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><p><strong>Chapter 3 Contaminated<strong>

She covered her mouth and rubbed her squinted eye as a sleepy yawn escaped past her lips. She was so sleepy she could collapse on the floor of the Hokage's office and instantly fall asleep.

Her mom had barged into her room at five in the morning spouting words at a hundred miles an hour. In her dazed, just-woke-up state, she could barely pick out a single word. She tried to interrupt her mom but her voice was still scratchy from sleep. So the only sound that came out was a measly croak easily drowned out by her mom's nonsensical rambling. In order to shut her up, she had to climb out of bed and physically place her hand on top of her mom's mouth. It was rude, but it was effective nonetheless.

When her mom calmed down she removed her hand and stretched to work the kinks out of her body. Satisfied all the kinks were gone, she turned around to begin fixing her bed. She barely touched the covers when her mom blurted out she was being summoned to the Hokage's office and pronto. Her head whipped around so fast all the pressure which had built up in her neck overnight was released with a resounding pop. She briefly felt a prick of pain before a rolling wave of pleasure succeeded in its place.

When she asked her mom why, she merely shrugged and turned around to start on breakfast. Thinking all would be revealed later, she finished tidying up her bed before stripping off her night garments, and heading to her bathroom to take shower. But in her sleepy stupor she forgot to heat up the water beforehand, and screamed loudly in shock as icy droplets of water pelted her warm skin. She immediately twisted the knob to off, and stepped out of the shower only to yelp when her feet made contact with the cold marble floor. Teeth chattering, she twisted the knob on but waited until visible steam started rising upwards before stepping in. She moaned in pleasure when the now warm droplets of water made contact with her cold skin, and ran down her body in soothing sheets of heat. The water served to further relieve any tension lingering in her body from her slumber.

After fifteen minutes in the shower – ten of them spent just standing there in pure bliss, relishing in the chiropractic properties of water – she quickly dried herself up, dressed in her usual ninja attire, and headed downstairs to grab a bite to eat. Upon entering the kitchen, the enticing aroma of broiled fish, miso soup, and even fresh rice blasted her nostrils and caused her salivary glands to salivate, and her empty stomach to grumble. In a heartbeat she was seated at the table with a mouth full of fish and rice, and a full plate of hot, delicious food sitting before her.

One reason why her dad married her mom was because she was an amazing cook. Every dish she made, whether from a recipe or a concoction, was mouthwatering. Her mom was so good at cooking that their family never had the desire to eat at a restaurant. And on the rare occasions where they did, they would order something and eat about a fourth of the plate. They would pack the rest and bring it home where her mom would whip something up to fill the other three-fourths in their stomachs.

The speed at which food was entering her mouth was a testament to her mom's cooking prowess. She barely chewed her food before another spoonful was packed in. When another spoonful wouldn't fit, she rapidly chewed and swallowed what was in her mouth, washing it all down with a big gulp of miso soup. Just as she was about to shove a huge piece of fish in her mouth, her mom slapped her hand with a wooden spatula causing her to drop her chopsticks on the table with a clang.

"Sakura Haruno, I did not raise you to eat like an animal. Eat slowly, chew your food and swallow!" Her mom gave her a disciplining look then returned to the pan on the stove to finish cooking another batch of food for her dad. She picked up her chopsticks and popped the huge piece of fish into her mouth, mindful of what her mom just told her. As she was chewing, she remembered her summon to the Hokage's office.

What could he want that it was so important to wake her up at an ungodly hour of the morning? If it was a mission, she'd understand. But that was impossible considering it was only a few days after the exams. If the village was suddenly under attack, she'd also understand. But that was also impossible because she would have felt something if Konoha was invaded. So what could be so important that the Hokage would summon her at five in the freaking morning?

After about ten more minutes of pondering, she finally finished eating her breakfast. She carefully placed her plate, bowl and utensils in the sink, then gave her mom a peck on the cheek before yelling goodbye to her dad up the stairs, and exiting through the front door. As soon as she closed the door behind her, a rush of freezing morning air assaulted her exposed skin. Instinctively, her hands shot to her arms and rubbed them vigorously for warmth.

Her walk to the Hokage's mansion was quiet. There wasn't much hustle and bustle early in the morning. The villagers were still fast asleep, wrapped up in their warm blankets and lying on their soft, comfortable beds. They wouldn't wake up until about eight or nine o'clock, when bright rays of sunlight filtered in through their windows and animals broke the silence with their shrill morning calls. Right now, the only sounds she could hear came from chirping birds and business owners as they prepared their stores for another day, another opportunity to sell their goods. But she thoroughly enjoyed the quietness of morning. It was peaceful compared to the chaos of the village during the early and late afternoons.

A few more minutes of walking and she finally made it to the Hokage's mansion. Little did she know that come six o'clock her plans would drastically change.

* * *

><p>Any second now she wouldn't be able to resist the powerful pull of slumber, and she'd definitely collapse on the ground. It was already six fifteen and the Hokage wasn't even here yet! Oh how she wished she could have spent fifteen more minutes in her nice comfy bed.<p>

Just as she was about to slide down the wall and lie down on the floor of the Hokage's office, the great doors of the office slowly opened to reveal the Fourth Hokage with Naruto trailing close behind, sporting a look as drowsy as hers.

"Sorry to keep you waiting Sakura-chan. I just had some trouble waking Naruto over here." Behind him Naruto grumbled something akin to, 'shut up' but she couldn't really tell, neither did she care. All she wanted right now was to know why she was summoned so she could run back home and into her warm bed.

"I suppose you're wondering why you were summoned. It's actually very important, but I won't say anything yet until the last two people I summoned are here." Sakura almost groaned out loud in pain. It was almost physically painful fighting to stay awake. She glanced at Naruto and discovered a similar state of irritation.

"I don't mean to be rude Hokage-sama, but couldn't this have waited a few more hours? I mean, it's only six o'clock in the morning. The animals aren't even awake yet." She really didn't mean to be rude but she was just so sleepy.

"Hehe, I suppose the prospect of a B-class mission wouldn't revitalize you?" Her eyes widened and suddenly, she didn't feel so tired anymore. Apparently, Naruto didn't either.

"What! Dad, you never said anything about a B-class mission last night! Why didn't you tell me!" Naruto was on his two feet now with an ecstatic look on his face.

"I know, but I'm saying it now so just be patient until Ka-!" A loud knock on the door interrupted him and cut off the names he was about to say.

"Come in." When the doors opened, she didn't expect to see Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke standing aloofly on the other side.

"Yo." Kakashi greeted in his usual monotonous tone of voice. Sasuke outdid Kakashi's greeting by giving only a silent nod. It didn't escape her that, like Naruto and herself, he too bore a look of drowsiness.

"You summoned Kaka-sensei and the Teme too? What's going on dad?" Naruto looked at his dad with confused ocean blue eyes.

"Yes I did, and I'm about to tell you why I summoned you four at the ungodly hour of six am." He walked around his freshly polished mahogany desk and opened one if its drawers. From its contents he pulled out a plain looking scroll with a chocolate brown silk ribbon tied around its middle. The four of them gathered around his desk, eager to find out the details of the mission.

"The reason why I summoned you four is because I need you to escort one of Fire Country's very important figureheads and his family. They will be traveling from their home located about half a day's travel from here, to a fancy resort located near the border dividing Takigakure and Fire Country. They will be vacationing at the resort." He untied the ribbon and opened the scroll to reveal several documents.

One of them was a large picture of the resort where the family would spend their vacation. From what she could analyze, the resort was very grandeur with beautiful blooming cherry blossom trees, crystal clear koi ponds, heavenly looking hot springs and luxurious hotel rooms. The second document was a detailed description of the path they would take to the resort. It outlined potential threats and hazards, serving as a precautionary tool for their team. The rest of the documents were just photos of the important figurehead and his family members, along with basic descriptions of their characters which would help her, Naruto, Sasuke and Kakashi in knowing how to act accordingly.

"Are you four with me so far?" The four of them gave Minato simultaneous nods, giving him the okay to continue with the debriefing.

"Now, as you can see here, the route your group will be taking is the only access route to the resort from the south, and it is very treacherous. It requires passing through an incredibly dense marshland, then a narrow ravine constantly harassed by strong winds. Luckily for you, there's an inn built into the side of the mountain where you can rest for the night. I have already made arrangements with the innkeeper to prepare your rooms." As he was explaining the environment, she conjured a mental image in her head of the kind of terrain they would be traveling on. In her mind's eye, the mountain ravine looked deadly. So in reality, it must be absolutely terrifying.

"Wouldn't it be safer to take an alternate route, go around the marshland and ravine and enter from the east or west?" Sasuke asked thoughtfully.

"In another situation, yes, but this mission has a time limit on it. The family wants to reach the resort in the next three days." Minato wore a frown on his face, displeased by the time limit placed on the mission.

"So, I'm guessing we should start packing now?" If they were given a time span of only three days, they needed to leave immediately.

"Yes. Kakashi, you will be team captain." Minato rolled up the scroll and retied it with the brown ribbon before tossing it to Kakashi who caught it effortlessly.

The four of them turned to leave when Minato's voice interrupted them. "I wasn't done." They turned to him with questioning looks on their faces. Could there be another mission?

"Since Team Seven is no longer a full, four-man cell, the Council and I have decided to add another member to your team." Next to her, the three males tensed from a sudden discomfort and underlying hostility.

"No." Sasuke was the first to answer. His facial expression clearly conveyed he would not tolerate a new addition. Naruto and Kakashi wore identical expressions of unwillingness, making the "zero toleration" a group effort. She felt a growing sympathy for the shinobi who was supposed to be added to their team. He or she didn't even last a single second with Team Seven. However, the sympathy vanished from her system just as quickly as it entered with Minato's next few words.

"You three have no say in the matter. The new addition to Team Seven will be Sakura." The three males' heads whipped in her direction with wide, disbelieving eyes and stared into her own wide eyes. Even though they said no words, she could easily read the rejection shining in their eyes. And she could feel the once, friendly vibes emanating from them in cold waves.

"Um, Hokage-sama, I think you and the Council should really reconsider your decision." She was shocked to say the least. There were so many things wrong with joining Team Seven.

For one, probably the most obvious reason, the males of Team Seven didn't want her part of the team period. Two, she was currently a member of another team so she couldn't just abandon them. Three, joining their team would definitely complicate her plans in the long run.

Despite her agreement to not join Team Seven, she couldn't help but feel a sharp pang of pain in her heart. After all, rejection was one of the hardest pains to experience in life. And right now, she was receiving it in three equivalent doses. She needed to change Minato's mind before everything was truly set in stone for all four of their sakes.

"I'm sorry Sakura, but you have no say in the matter either."

"But Hokage-sama, I have my own team and-!" The look in Minato's eyes made her swallow the rest of her words. She'd never seen him look irritated, or frustrated, but now she was experiencing it firsthand.

"As I said, none of you have a say in the matter. Sakura will permanently join Team Seven," Minato placed emphasis on the word 'permanent,' effectively producing glares on Naruto's, Sasuke's and Kakashi's faces, "and you will treat her with the care you once gave her." At the word 'her' Sasuke made a very angry "tch" sound then practically stormed out of the room.

She couldn't blame him. He just lost who most likely was the love of his life, and now he was being forced to accept some random girl he barely met the previous night as her replacement. If she was in his position, she would act the same way.

"I'll go after him Hokage-sama." Kakashi's words were emotionless but the eye that he turned on her was full of distaste. Tucking the scroll in one of the pockets of his utility jacket, he briskly left the room to pursue Sasuke.

Naruto was glaring at the ground, hands fisted at his sides, before suddenly redirecting his glare towards her. She sucked in a breath at the almost unnatural rage swirling inside the depths of his ocean blue eyes. Naruto, friendly, accepting, compassionate Naruto, actually looked like he disliked her! Inwardly, she groaned at her predicament and roughly suppressed the growing pain in her heart. As Naruto made to exit the room in a fashion similar to Sasuke's, Minato's stern voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Naruto." She watched Naruto's tense shoulders begin to quiver as a sign that his anger was slowly building.

"I know." He curtly replied before exiting through the office doors. Feeling utterly dejected and assuming Minato wasn't going to say anything more she headed for the office doors, intent on going home to pack excruciatingly slow for the long, harsh journey ahead.

"Hold on Sakura. I still want to talk to you about something." She didn't like the mysterious glint in his eyes. His cerulean orbs were conspicuously overflowing with questions. Questions, which she hoped weren't regarding her biggest secret.

"Yes, Hokage-sama?" She asked apprehensively. Her heart beat quickened and her palms began sweating profusely as icy dread settled in like a slowly rolling mist.

"I want to talk to you about your performance in the chunin exams. I noticed something strange." Her heart stopped beating all together and her arms went slack at her sides. He was going to find out.

* * *

><p>He watched from the shadows produced by a towering rock building as the young child from the previous night laughed and played with his friends in the park. They were playing an innocent game of hide-and-go-seek, a classic game many children enjoyed. Only, their game was about to degrade to a lovely level of dirty.<p>

His eyes remained focused on the little boy as he carelessly chased his friend repeatedly around the slide, a wide smile decorating his adorable little face. In roughly seven seconds his wide smile would vanish and be replaced by a row of crimson teeth.

He counted down his head the demise of the child. Seven, six, five, four, three, two and one – just as he predicted, the child suddenly stopped chasing his friend and paused in the middle of the playground with wide brown eyes. A second later he was kneeling over on the ground, coughing out blood. Like flies drawn to a light, the adults in the playground rushed to the child's aid. He watched as one adult thought fast and picked up the child to take him to the hospital instead of dawdling around. But the deed was done.

He smirked in satisfaction at the red pool of blood on the ground. People truly were oblivious and ignorant. They don't pause to think clearly, and to think out of the box. They don't, for one second, consider the possibility that poison can also take shape as an airborne substance. Fools, they were all fools. But he was glad they were fools. It would make the destruction of the village that much more simpler.

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><p>Review! =)<p> 


	4. Quarantined

**A/N:** I'm pretty happy with the pace I'm moving at. Right now, as with all stories, the beginning is a little slow since the exposition serves primarily as an introduction. Please don't lose patience my beloved readers. I promise the plot will continue to thicken!

Standard disclaimer applies.

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><p><strong>Chapter 4 Collapsed<strong>

The atmosphere traveling to the resort was heavy with discomforting silence and unspoken emotions. Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi remained silent the entire time, or at least they remained silent in her presence. When they had taken a break to rest up momentarily and quench up their thirst, she excused herself to quickly wash up at a nearby stream they passed earlier. The three males merely nodded their heads.

When she was about a hundred meters away, she turned around and stealthily returned to just beyond the border of their camp. What she saw – or heard to be more accurate – caused her blood to boil. They were conversing with each other, and even with their charges! Unfortunately, she was gripping onto a thin, low hanging branch, and because of her temper flare she had gripped it too hard causing it to snap. The sound startled Naruto, Sasuke and Kakashi and drew their attention to her position behind a tall tree. Luckily for her, a bird cawed loudly from somewhere in the forest and stole their attention, effectively distracting them long enough for her to escape.

When she was washing herself at the stream she decided if they were going to give her the silent treatment, she would give them silence as well. It wasn't fair that she should receive the short stick of the bunch when she did nothing to warrant their anger.

Once they arrived at the resort they went straight to the resort's hotel to register the family as well as their rooms. Minato told them they would escort a family to the resort, but he never mentioned that they would stay at the resort with the family. It was only during their stay at the mountain-side inn that they discovered they needed to stay at the resort with the family.

The four of them – Naruto, Sasuke, Kakashi and her – sat around a small square table in their inn room with the scroll opened up before them. As they were reviewing the documents they noticed an envelope sealed with the Konohagakure symbol. When they tore it open, they were surprised to find two thin, rectangular pieces of paper attached to a letter. The letter basically told them that the rectangular pieces of paper were reservations for the resort. Naturally, they pieced together that the reservations were for them, meaning they were also tasked to stay with the family until their vacation was over, and then escort them back. But what really baffled them was the number of reservations included in the envelope. There were only two reservations but four of them. Were two of them required to stay while the other two went back home?

They received their answer during the registration process. Apparently, the reason why there were two reservations was because two rooms were reserved for them. One room would be occupied by Naruto, Sasuke and Kakashi, while the other room would be occupied by her alone. She thanked Kami and Minato for the extremely considerate act. Minato must have anticipated the males' reactions and gave her a separate room to relieve some of the pressure, and it worked. Once the boys learned they wouldn't have to share a room with her, their tense shoulders loosened up and their bodies relaxed. Once again, their small shows of disdain towards her presence caused her temper to flare but she chose to simply ignore the anger. She was just as happy as them to have separated rooms. Plus, in addition to treating them with silence, she would also treat them like their presence in her life caused her great distress.

The rooms of the hotel – or at least her room – were extravagant, equipped with exquisite and expensive décor. The walls were painted a crisp pristine white. One wall was painted a deep brown to serve as an accent wall, adding warmth to the room. Gorgeous furniture was thoughtfully placed around the room, and was made from beautiful lustrous wood. The cushiony parts were covered with intricately embroidered white fabric. A textured brown tapestry framed the crystalline floor to ceiling windows and pooled at the ground in natural ruffles.

The bathroom was equally extravagant. The walls were painted the same brown as the accent wall in the room, and the tiles were a pretty mosaic of brown, white and green squares. The sink and toilet were made of fine white marble, and the handles were made of stainless steel. In one corner was a large square bathtub attached to the ground and the wall. It was filled halfway with clear water and flower petals floated gently on the water's surface. Opposite to the bathtub, there was a wide walk-in shower with see through glass, and shower jets built into every shower wall for equal coverage. Fragrant candles were placed on top of the marble countertops, and olive green towels were draped onto stainless steel towel racks.

There were two things she loved about the hotel room. The first thing was the view, courtesy of the floor to ceiling windows. They opened up to a small balcony that overlooked the entire resort. From the balcony she could see the mountain range kilometers away, the tops of the cherry blossom trees and the large lake about a kilometer away. Every few seconds or so, a gentle cool breeze would sweep by and blow over her, refreshing her mind and clearing away all jumbled thoughts. The second thing she loved about the hotel room was the sturdy king sized bed placed against the brown accent wall. The bed was heavenly. It was as soft as a cloud but as firm as a cushion. The soft sheets smelled freshly washed and were cool on her skin, hinting they were changed every few days.

She was currently lying down on the bed, slightly sunk in, gazing out the open windows at the sun setting over the mountain range kilometers away. As Minato predicted, it took about half a day to reach the family's mansion. It then took an additional two and a half days to reach the resort, totaling exactly three days. When they arrived at the resort it was late in the afternoon but now, the time was transitioning to evening.

The setting sun lit up the sky with lovely shades of orange, purple and pink, and cast a warm glow on the room. The sweeping breezes entering her room through the open windows caressed her skin and tangled her hair. The soft light and cool wind combined with the superbly comfortable bed set up conditions perfect for a nap. Every passing second her eyes grew lethargic and continued to droop shut. Finally, with a lengthy yawn her eyes closed and she fell into a deep sleep. As she slept, vivid images danced across the dark panels of her eyelids. Some were long past memories, some were recent memories, and some were simply fabricated dreams that she believed held no ounce of significance.

* * *

><p>"<em>What is it Hokage-sama?" She was facing him fully, with her hands locked together firmly behind her back. She was hoping to lessen the visible shaking of her body. Standing in front of a suspicious Hokage was definitely nerve wracking.<em>

"_Sakura, I don't want to pry but have you been doing any special training as of late, maybe with your overseeing jonin?" Minato was staring at her speculatively. He was observing her, trying to catch the faintest of movements that would indicate something more than what she was displaying._

"_Kind of. Why do you ask?" She had a gut feeling that she knew why he was asking but she repressed it, holding onto the small sliver of hope that his reasons didn't match her gut feeling._

"_In all my years of existence and in studying the village's archives, I have never encountered a kunoichi who could so effortlessly pass the chunin exams. And I especially have never encountered a kunoichi with enough skill and power to cause a fissure to erupt from the ground." With every word that came out of his mouth the anxiety that she was feeling slowly increased. She had to input a great amount of effort to quell the shaking so she wouldn't appear weak._

"_While I'm not all too surprised that your passing was brilliant, exemplary to say the least, your records indicate your slight struggle as a genin." A lone bead of cold sweat trickled down her neck, and she had to bite her lip to mute any pathetic, scared whimpers in danger of escaping her mouth._

"_As Hokage, I simply can't dispel any notions that you might be a powerful enemy ninja disguised as a frail young girl. Doing so would automatically endanger my village." Minato's eyes were narrowed on her and in her mind, she was screaming angrily at him. She wasn't an enemy ninja sent to terrorize Konoha. She was a proud citizen of Konohagakure, and she would never betray her home!_

"_Hokage-sama, I-!" She was interrupted when Minato placed a hand up to silence her. She gritted her teeth and dug her nails into her hands in an effort to control her growing anger._

"_Of course, I also can't rule out that you could have simply resolved to become stronger in order to pass the exams, or to protect your comrades and village. I also can't rule out that you could just be experiencing something foreign and frightening, and the after effect is your newfound power." Minato closed his eyes exhaling deeply, relaxing his facial features and his body. She also relaxed her body and lessened the pressure on her linked hands._

"_I like you Sakura-chan. You're a good kid and I believe you're an excellent kunoichi who will fight to protect her village and her loved ones." When he reopened his eyes they softly gazed at her, honesty shining in their oceanic depths._

"_I won't read into your condition any more than I have to, so please don't give me any reason to doubt my beliefs about you. I trust that with time, you will also believe in me enough to share what strange happenings have shrouded you in mystery." The way he spoke, with such genuineness, compelled her to spill her secret right then and there. But another feeling inside her whispered it wasn't time yet, and so she refrained._

"_Will you do these things that I have asked of you Sakura-chan?" It barely took her a second to answer._

"_I will." A flurry of cherry blossom petals drifted to the ground in her wake, leaving a faint smile on the Hokage's face._

* * *

><p><em>She jumped backwards – narrowly escaping – as a blonde haired, busty woman smashed her fist into the ground, demolishing the land on impact and making small chunks of earth fly into the air. Right as her feet touched the ground the blonde woman sprinted straight for her. The fist that split open the earth seconds before was raised again, ready to crush her just as it crushed the ground. Thinking quickly, she harnessed chakra to her own fist and punched the ground beneath her, expelling the pent up chakra with perfect precision right when her fist made contact with the dirt. Similar to when the blonde woman punched the ground, the earth cracked and split open and large rocks flew into the air, effectively halting the blonde woman in her tracks.<em>

_Dust which had risen as a result of the demolition suspended in the air, and blocked the blonde woman's and her view. But her trained ears could easily pick up the other's heavy panting and sharp intakes of air. She knew they were both physically drained. Her clothes were drenched in sweat and her body littered with cuts from kunai making contact with her skin. Dark blue bruises from the blonde woman's jabs and kicks spotted her skin. Internally, she could feel the throbbing pain of cracked ribs and a cracked pelvis. She assessed her chakra levels to see how much she had left, and narrowed her eyes when she determined that she had less than a quarter remaining. This fight was one of the most difficult yet satisfying fights she'd ever had with her mentor, and she couldn't help but smile proudly – albeit painfully – at her growth. _

_As the dust settled, her eyes widened upon seeing her mentor kneeling with one knee on the ground, supporting most of her weight with the other knee. She analyzed the blonde woman's condition and deduced that she was in a similar state as herself, if not worse. In addition, her chakra levels were nearing their limit signaling the quickly approaching end of the battle. She watched as the woman slowly stood up and breathed laboriously, sucking in long drags of oxygen with a painful twitch every time she inhaled. There was no doubt in her mind that the blonde woman received a fractured sternum, and the bone was pressing uncomfortably against one of her lungs._

"_Surrender yet shishou?" She smirked confidently at her mentor, proving to her that she improved enough to fearlessly mock her mentor._

"_Heh, in your dreams Sakura." The blonde woman spit out a wad of blood and wiped her mouth._

"_I don't' need to dream shishou because it's going to be a reality in a matter of seconds." She copied her mentor's actions and spit out a wad of blood, then wiped her mouth with the back of her hand._

"_Don't be cocky Sakura, it'll lead to your downfall." Her mentor's voice was steady, signaling she was ready to deliver a final blow._

"_We'll see shishou." She watched as a smirk appeared on the blonde woman's lips before charging in with a chakra infused fist. A resounding crash like crumbling buildings filled the silence of the training ground, and a small tremor rocked the ground underneath the feet of nearby villagers._

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><p>She slowly opened her eyes to discover a room enveloped by an unusually bright darkness. As she sat up on the king sized bed and stretched out to work out the kinks in her back and neck, she realized why the darkness seemed so bright. It was a full moon tonight and the ethereal light of the moon flowed into the room through the still open windows, illuminating the room enough so she could clearly discern the outline and even some of the detail of the beautiful furniture.<p>

Chilly night air also flowed into the room causing her skin to become cold to the touch and textured with goose bumps. She rose from the bed and shut the windows, blocking out the waves of cold wind. When she turned around, she was surprised to see a cart of food placed next to the door. She accessed her memories to try and recall ever ordering dinner, and frowned when no such memories surfaced. Suddenly her stomach grumbled and despite the absence of another soul in the room, a warm blush colored her cheeks. It was always embarrassing for her to emit sounds of hunger.

She approached the cart cautiously in case it should spontaneously transform into someone and attack her, but she shook her head at such a silly thought. If someone wanted to attack her, they would have done so while she was unguarded and asleep. On the cart was a three course meal complete with a full bottle of fine, hot green tea. She was unfamiliar with the food but she could tell it probably tasted fantastic from the wonderful aroma. Judging from the slight heat radiating off the food she calculated it was probably delivered about twenty minutes ago. The real question was who delivered the mouthwatering meal. She probed the cart for any clues that would reveal the identity of the mystery man or woman but found none. Shrugging, she picked up the appetizer course which was a crisp looking salad and popped a leafy green into her mouth.

The whole time she was eating, her recent dream replayed in her mind. The first dream was inspired by the events from three days ago when Naruto, Sasuke, Kakashi and she received the mission, and Minato needed to talk to her. Like in her dream, she remembered feeling anxious and afraid of the scrutinizing gaze of the Hokage, and of the way his analysis seemed to hit the nail on the head. She knew that with time, she would finally be able to tell the Hokage everything, but right now it was best if no one knew her secret. The second dream she had no clue about. She knew without a shadow of a doubt that she's never seen the blonde, busty woman before. And she's definitely never fought a ninja with that level of intensity. So who was the woman in her dreams?

She finished her meal in half an hour, and now she was warming up the water in the white tub so she could take a hot, relaxing bath. Once the water was to her liking, she returned to the room and grabbed the half drunken bottle of green tea and a fluffy white bath robe. Once she was undressed she lit up some of the candles and placed them on the edge of the tub. Soon the bathroom was filled with the soothing scent of cherry blossoms. Slowly, she immersed her body into the hot water, careful to temper her body so she wouldn't scald. When her skin and hair were completely wet, she started scrubbing with a velvety bar of good smelling soap and lathered shampoo into her hair. After cleaning every naked inch she could reach, she decided to simply soak in the water until the temperature decreased to just shy of cold, and then she would rinse.

The entire time she was in the tub, the same dream from earlier imprisoned her every thought, preventing her from truly unwinding. The identity of the blonde woman was really beginning to irk her and if she didn't find out who the woman was soon, she'd go crazy. She wrote down on her mental list to ask Minato once she returned to the village if he knew of any woman with blonde hair tied into two pigtails, and an enviable rack. If things continued to run smoothly, chances were the woman in her dream was real and she was going to find her.

* * *

><p>He watched from a high spire as ninja of every rank wearing protective gas masks rushed throughout the village, frenzied. The Tsuchikage had made an order a few hours ago to evacuate the still healthy citizens to safe bunkers, and to immediately quarantine any infected families.<p>

Below him, a father desperately tried to bypass a group of chunins – probably to take the dying child in his arms to the hospital – but was harshly stopped with a chop to his head. The chunins mercilessly let the father along with the child fall flat onto the floor, before forcing a stretcher underneath them and dumping them back into their home. They sealed the house with chakra barriers and placed a black marker before the front door, signaling to other ninja that the house was quarantined.

He smiled wickedly before jumping from the spire he was currently standing on to another spire, and then another until he reached the village walls. He gave the collapsing Iwagakure one last glance before descending down the walls and onto the exterior land. Now that one of the great hidden villages was on its way to total annihilation and destruction, it was time to spread the epidemic to the other four. Inside he was laughing maniacally at his diabolical deeds. Pretty soon, the five great hidden villages would be under his absolute control.

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><p>I'll give you guys exactly one guess on who the woman in Sakura's dream is. If you don't guess correctly, it's sad to say you aren't a devout Naruto fan. Until the next update, review! =)<p> 


	5. Collapsed

**A/N:** Hey guys! I just wanna thank everyone who added this story to their story alerts, and everyone who reviewed! I truly appreciate the great feedback. It always puts a smile on my face knowing there are people out there who enjoy my work. I promised you guys the plot would thicken and I believe it will in this chapter so enjoy!

**Standard disclaimer applies.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 5 Collapsed<strong>

Their stay at the resort was mostly uneventful. Nothing extraordinary happened, and there weren't any signs of immediate danger. Naruto, Sasuke and Kakashi ignored her most of the time, except for meal times. It wouldn't look good for Kakashi if she was always left out.

She still didn't discover the identity of the person who delivered the cart of food to her room, but she figured it was Minato's doing. He probably requested the hotel staff to deliver the four of them food throughout the day. The week of undisturbed relaxation lowered their guards letting the four of them fully unwind. Throughout the course of their stay she was able to organize her thoughts, keeping important memories and dumping useless ones that jumbled her mind.

It was during the day before their departure that anything interesting occurred. She was lying down on a pool recliner watching the lord's wife and children splash in the pool, while the lord was with Naruto, Sasuke and Kakashi in the hotel doing Kami knows what.

His son was a mischievous little fellow. Every day he'd pull a harmless prank on his sister that instantly provoked her anger. When she'd turn on him, he provoked more of her anger by taunting her with rude, but cute, faces. Naturally, harsh threats spewed from her mouth but the little boy was fearless. One day he went so far as to taunt her by shaking his butt from side to side. Of course, she chased him every time with outstretched hands ready to strangle him, but he'd run away with mirth-filled laughter. Sakura always laughed at his antics and couldn't help but feel tender towards the incredibly adorable boy.

Today, his prank involved a tub with a handle. She saw him carry the object out of the hotel in the morning. On their way to the pool she asked him why he brought a tub with him, but he simply looked at her innocently with large light brown eyes and smiled brightly at her. Now she could see his reasons. When his sister wasn't looking he was going to fill the tub with water and then pour it onto her head. The only problem was that his sister was keeping a wary eye on him. She was tired of his constant pranks and decided today she'd escape her little brother's jokes. Sakura contemplated on whether she should help the little boy or not and in the end, her decision swayed to helping him.

She knew that as long as his sister kept a vigilant eye, he wouldn't be able to get near her, so he'd need a distraction. She was going to be that distraction. She got off the pool recliner and walked to the edge of the pool, appearing as if she was going to take a dip. In actuality, she was simply going to grab the attention of the young girl by calling out to her.

"Hey you, yeah over here!" she waved her hand in the air to look more believable and smirked when the young girl turned her head in her direction. The little boy was also quite intelligent, and upon realizing that she was helping him he cunningly waded to just behind his sister.

"I just want you to know," she paused for a second waiting until the boy was ready with the water-filled tub hovering over the young girl's head, "be careful!" The boy quickly flipped the tub and all the water inside drenched the girl's head. He speedily swam away with his infectious child's laughter floating through the air, affecting the surrounding swimmers. Sakura smiled as his innocent laugh rang in her ears, reminding her of her childhood days when she endlessly played with other children at the park.

Her smile slowly diminished and turned into a frown when the boy abruptly stopped swimming and just floated in the water. In her mind, warning bells went off with a shrill cry and she dashed onto the surface of the water, careful not to stomp on someone's head on her way to reach the boy.

As she neared him his body began to jerk violently and fearful screams erupted from the throats of nearby swimmers, pushing her to increase her pace. When she finally reached him, the sight that met her eyes almost induced some vomit. Crimson blood mixed with bits of food coated in acid covered the surface of the water, and dripped down from the mouth of the boy. He was still coughing, his little hands covering his mouth in a vain attempt to try and cease the blood from coming out, and his beautiful honey eyes sealed tightly in pain. Acting on instinct, she swooped up his body in her arms – apathetic to the blood and disgusting food bits – and darted towards the concrete land.

She set his petite body down as gently and prudently as she could, mindful of his sudden jerks incase his head should smash into the ground. She swiveled her head left and right and behind her, trying to spot any emergency aid kits within the vicinity and almost swore out loud when she saw none. Behind her she picked up the sound of hesitant footsteps followed by a shocked gasp and heart wrenching wails, confirming the identity as the boy's mother.

"Mommy, what's happened to Toshiaki?" the boy's sister asked frightened.

"I don't know." the boy's mother sounded so resigned, as if Toshiaki was dead and passed on to the next world.

She gritted her teeth and wildly wracked her brain for ways she could help Toshiaki. If he continued to cough violently, and his body continued jerking violently, his end would come in a matter of minutes.

* * *

><p>Naruto laughed at the defeated look on Tatsuo's face. As one of the supporting rulers of Fire Country, it was a shame the he was so terrible at gambling.<p>

"Ne, ne don't look so down old man! We can come back tomorrow morning before we leave so you can regain your honor!" He knew he was just rubbing salt into an open wound but he couldn't help himself. Teasing and mocking were in his nature, and he couldn't ignore his nature.

"Easy for you to say you little brat. All you have to do is pull the handle and money cascades from the slots in rivers." Tatsuo looked mad, his hands balled up into fists at his sides.

"Well, what can I say? I'm the best at everything!" Naruto wore a cocky smile on his face, his hands lazily locked together behind his head, walking with the air of an arrogant champion.

"Be careful what you say Dobe. I might just have to prove you wrong." Sasuke warned smirking, a challenging glint shining in his pools of onyx.

"Is that a challenge Teme?" he matched Sasuke's expression with one of his own. If the Uchiha wanted a challenge, he'd be more than willing to oblige.

"Hn." Sasuke replied and smirked wider when he saw the competitive embers burning in Naruto's eyes alight into a flame.

Behind the two boys and walking next to Tatsuo, Kakashi shook his head at their friendly rivalry – to those who knew Naruto and Sasuke. Their constant unorthodox challenges reminded him greatly of the rivalry between him and Obito, or between him and Gai. Under any circumstance they could conjure up silly competitions, conceived by Obito and Gai of course but solidified by his automatic acceptance. Nonetheless, he smirked at the two boys' competitiveness, curious to know the nature of their next challenge. A sudden shift in the atmosphere instantly wiped off his smirk and drew his attention to the poolside, where an unusual number of people were gathered around a single area.

"Alright Teme you asked for it. You, me," Naruto emphasized his words by pointing a finger at Sasuke then pointing a thumb at himself, "swimming pool. First to swim fifteen laps around the perimeter of the pool wins." The heatedness in his words died down when he glanced at the pool and instead, his eyes widened and his mouth slightly parted at the peculiar scene in front of him. Something was wrong.

"What is it dobe?" confusion settled into Sasuke's brow at the sudden change of demeanor in Naruto's personality. A second ago the blond idiot was about to explode from all the accumulating energy. Now his arms hung languidly at his sides, his face paled, his eyes were shocked wide, and his mouth hung open. Naruto's overall body language and expression screamed something was wrong, alerting Sasuke to turn his head in the same direction as Naruto. His eyes narrowed at the gathered crowd.

Naruto's body finally sprung back to life, cerulean eyes staring intently at the mob of people near the poolside.

"Kakashi-sensei."

"Aa, let's go."

* * *

><p>"Dammit!" Sakura couldn't restrain herself and cursed loudly. Mothers with children covered their young's ears to block out the inappropriate language.<p>

Next to Sakura, Toshiaki continued to vomit blood mixed with incompletely digested food, and his body continued jerking violently. At the rate his episode was going, he'd be dead in roughly two minutes. She felt powerless as she wiped away the filthy liquid pouring steadily from his mouth with the shirts of vacationers who were kind enough to offer assistance.

"Please, can't you help Toshiaki-kun?" his mother pleaded, sorrowful tears spilling from her eyes.

"I'm doing the best I can." Sakura replied through gritted teeth. It was true. She was doing the best she could to save Toshiaki's life.

"Well obviously you're not. Otherwise my precious Toshiaki-kun would already be well!" Sakura briefly turned her head around to give the woman a scathing glare.

"I don't see you trying to save your son. So if you don't mind, please be quiet so I can try and come up with a way to save him!" she watched as the angry expression on the woman's face reverted back to sorrow before turning back to Toshiaki.

"I-I'm sorry. I just, I can't lose Toshi-kun." the woman's wailing died down to quiet whimpering with sniffles interjected between intakes of air.

"He's so young, Toshi-kun. He hasn't even begun school yet." Sakura gazed at the boy with sad eyes. For a young child who was intelligent enough to pull idiotic jokes on older people, it would be a shame if he couldn't attend school.

"You know, it's his birthday tomorrow. Tatsuo and I were going to throw a big birthday breakfast before we departed. Toshi-kun loves breakfast. It's his favorite meal of the day." Sakura looked at the woman with wide eyes, unwilling to believe that it was his birthday the next day. But the despaired smile on the woman's face spoke of a grim truth, one that would deliver a wound so deep, no measure of time could heal it.

"Yesterday night, we ordered a large red bean cake for him. It may sound unusual, but it's his favorite sweet. And we-, we-, we-, oh!" she couldn't finish her sentence as another round of sobs tore through her body, bringing her to her knees. Her hands covered her face in an effort to shield herself from the world.

Inside Sakura, something tugged hard on her heart strings, causing warm tears to pool in her aqueducts. But she refused to let a single tear fall for fear of surrendering to weakness which transformed into finality.

Observing the pained expression on Toshiaki's face, she calculated he had about a minute and a half left of life. She desperately tried to think of a way to stop the coughing, chanting "think" in her mind like a mantra, hoping that by repeatedly saying the word the solution to the current predicament would present itself like a shining beacon.

As if the entities in Heaven witnessed her pitiful desperation, a voice inside her head soothingly told her to calm down. She listened to the voice and closed her eyes inhaling deeply, pushing away the frantic thoughts and clearing her mind. The voice then instructed her to "remember, not think." Confused, she was about to protest to the voice when it repeated in a stronger tone the same three words. Taking another deep, clearing breath she perused her memories, searching for one that would help her save Toshiaki.

Rapidly she went through memory after memory when finally, a glowing green hand shined in the darkness. She stopped on the glowing green hand and tried to delve deeper into the memory but was unsuccessful. Something was preventing her from advancing, allowing her to see only the hand. She repetitively tried to break past the invisible barrier but failed with each attempt. Agitated, she was about to give up when the same voice from seconds ago told her to "just do it." Knowing that if she tried to protest again the voice would just say the same thing, she took one final cleansing breath and lifted her hand to hover just above Toshiaki's chest.

Her eyes opened in surprise when the feeling of drawing chakra condensed in her hand and emitted turquoise light. It felt frighteningly natural, like she'd performed the action a million times. But her better judgment told her she's never done it before.

Knitting her brows in concentration – afraid that foolish, thoughtless actions would cause the strange power to fade – she laid her hand on Toshiaki's chest and discovered an intricate network of organs, blood vessels and chakra. She also discovered a foreign substance flowing through Toshiaki's blood. Thinking about the substance caused bells to ring in her head. A foreign substance was one of three things: (1) the substance was semen derived from a male who ejaculated into a woman; (2) the substance was an antibiotic to kill germs or an antidote to eliminate poison; or (3) the substance was poison.

Without a shadow of a doubt she immediately recognized the substance as option number three.

"Toshiaki-kun has been poisoned!"

"What!" Sakura turned to the direction of the new voice and was relieved to see Kakashi's, Naruto's and Sasuke's running forms. But the fourth figure caused her to tense up again. It was Toshiaki's father. It was obvious once his eyes zeroed in Toshiaki that he'd react similarly to his wife.

"What the hell happened here?" Tatsuo fell to his knees with a look of utter desolation next to Toshiaki who was now sputtering out blood in lengthy intervals.

"T-T-Toshi-aki?" He gently touched Toshiaki's face, as if applying greater pressure would worsen his condition.

"Sakura, what happened here?" Kakashi was staring at Toshiaki with narrowed analytical eyes.

"He was swimming in the pool when he started coughing up blood. Kakashi-sensei, he's been poisoned." Sakura looked at Kakashi with unwavering eyes, firm in her conviction that the young child was poisoned. She didn't miss the way Kakashi's eye gravitated towards her still glowing hand, widened, then returned to narrowing.

"Where did you-"

"Kakashi-sensei there's no time! He needs to be treated immediately! Otherwise he'll die." She could feel the chakra in her hand slowly collapsing with broken concentration, and cursed lowly when the green light vanished altogether, disconnecting her from Toshiaki's blood and chakra systems.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Kakashi hooked one arm under Toshiaki's shoulder blades and one under his knees, lifted him off the ground and cradled his head against his chest. He gave Sakura a final hard stare before disappearing with a resounding crackle in a whirl of leaves.

Sakura closed her eyes, exhaling deeply and rubbing her temples. Her body relaxed as the adrenaline exited her system and was replaced by relief that Toshiaki had a chance of survival.

"Where did Kakashi take him?" She opened her eyes and glanced at a worried looking Tatsuo.

"Most likely to Konoha to get the poison in him treated a.s.a.p." Tatsuo silently digested the information before opening his mouth to bombard her with more questions.

"Tatsuo-san, I assure you, Konoha has one of the best, if not the best, medical facilities in the world. I'm positive Toshiaki-kun will be fine." The worry in the old man's face seemed to fade away, but a small sliver lingered in his aged eyes.

"Then what should we do in the meantime?" He took his wife's and daughter's hands and held them tightly, as if letting go would cause them to float away, forever lost in the great beyond.

"Take your family back to the hotel and pack your belongings. We need to leave as soon as possible."

"Then what about you three?" Tatsuo nodded his head at Naruto and Sasuke who were standing several feet behind her.

"We're going to clean up this mess and also pack our bags." She gave the aging man a reassuring look, telling him through her eyes to trust her and go ahead.

"Alright, but please, let me know if something else happens."

"I will."

He picked up his daughter, carrying her with one arm, grabbed his wife's hand with the other, and led his family away to prepare for their trip back home.

Sakura glanced back at the two boys standing behind her and raised an eyebrow at their still forms.

"You two have been awfully quiet throughout this whole situation. Are you guys okay?" Naruto shook his head to snap out of his stupor and stared at her with confused cerulean blue eyes. Sasuke, on the other hand, glared at her with critical blood red eyes.

"Where did you learn that jutsu?" His question was more accusing than prodding, as if it was a crime for her to use such a jutsu.

"It's none of your business." The three tomoe in Sasuke's eyes began spinning rapidly, signaling he was about to send her into a genjutsu, but Naruto stopped him by placing a steady hand on his shoulder.

Sasuke whipped his head to glare at Naruto before deactivating his Sharingan and giving her one last harsh glare. He shrugged off Naruto's hand and stalked off towards the direction of the hotel, presumably to pack his bags. Sakura imagined steam rising from the top of his head, part from his anger and part from the holes she was burning into his skull.

"Sorry about the Teme. He gets frustrated when he doesn't understand things." She looked up at Naruto from her sitting position on the ground and saw a genuine, friendly smile on his face similar to the one he gave her at Minato's celebration party.

"Hmph, well he can go stab himself because the world doesn't revolve around him." She glared in the general direction Sasuke exited, but her view was obscured by an open tanned hand. She looked questioningly at Naruto wondering why he was reaching for her.

"Are you gonna sit there all day and glare at nothing?" It baffled her that the girl who just prevented an adorable little boy from dying could look so stupid in the end by a blond haired boy who merely arrived on the scene.

"Shut up Naruto." She tried to look offended but failed as the remainder of her irritation dissolved to form a smile. When she gripped Naruto's hand a shock coursed through both of their bodies causing them both to let go. She fell flat on her butt and stared up at Naruto with wide eyes.

"Did you feel that?"

"Yeah." Naruto offered her a helping hand again and this time she stood up without feeling the electrifying sensation.

"Let's clean up fast so we can get back to the hotel and pack up." She glanced down at her bikini clad body and grimaced at the amount of blood and vomit sticking to her skin. "Ugh, this smell is gonna stick for days."

A restrained sound caught her attention and she looked up to find Naruto covering his mouth and holding his stomach, trying but failing to hold back his laughter.

"You look disgusting Sakura-chan."

"Yeah? Well so do you!"

"Nani! But I don't have anything on me!"

"Exactly." She left Naruto looking dumbfound with a smile on her face. It looked like she had hope with Team Seven after all.

* * *

><p>Kakashi watched detachedly as several nurses and one jonin medic-ninja worked on Toshiaki. He was berating himself for allowing the splendid resort to momentarily tear down his guard. If he was more cautious he could have detected initial signs of danger and protected Toshiaki. Thankfully, Sakura was in the area to take care of the boy and keep him alive.<p>

His thoughts drifted to Sakura's glowing green hand. It shouldn't be possible for a thirteen year old kunoichi to use the Shosen Jutsu. A thirteen year old ANBU – like Itachi – yes, but not a kunoichi her age. He knew her overseeing jonin wasn't a medic-ninja so she couldn't learn the jutsu from him.

There was also her unprecedented passing of the chunin exams. She passed barely sporting an injury and defeated her final opponent by cracking the ground. There was only one woman alive with the physical prowess to destroy objects a hundred times her size and she was somewhere gambling.

For the next few hours as he guarded Toshiaki's room, the image of a pink haired, green eyed kunoichi filled the void of his thoughts. It was almost as if she came from an entirely different world.

* * *

><p>He studied from atop a mountain cliff the village nestled at the base of the mountain with uninterested wonder. The mist for which the village was named after served its purpose and hid the village from view, but was futile in the presence of a powerful shinobi. Harmless water vapor couldn't protect the village from a fate similar to Iwagakure's.<p>

Of course, just to be on the safe side, he casually tossed a brown snake into the mist and watched amusedly as the snake hissed and began melting. Its carcass rested on the ground for a second before it too began melting. He commended the village for such a simple but effective defense mechanism. An unsuspecting and uninformed shinobi would easily die in the acidic mist. But he wasn't a fool. Rapidly his hands formed a dozen hand signs and a second later, he felt his skin toughening until his epidermis was as solid as a smoothened stone. After ten seconds his preparation was complete and he trudged on to the village's destruction.

* * *

><p>Toshiaki - bright and happy.<p>

Tatsuo - imperial man.

Shosen Jutsu - Mystical Palm Technique.


	6. Spreading

**A/N:** Hey everyone! First off, I just wanna say thank you to all those who reviewed, and to all those who story alerted my story. Everyone's words of enjoyment give me strength to plunder through the night, hashing out each chapter with diligence. Everyone's critiques inspire me to produce the best story possible. Thanks everyone! Enjoy the chapter!

**Standard disclaimer applies.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6 Spreading<strong>

The trek towards Konoha was solemn and dreary. Tatsuo decided that he, his wife and daughter would tag along with Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura so they could see Toshiaki. Initially, Naruto, Sasuke and Naruto rejected the idea saying it was best if him and his family went back home. But Tatsuo was persistent, badgering the three young shinobi with justifications for his family's accompaniment. After thirty minutes of irritating arguing, Sakura grew impatient and conceded to Tatsuo's request, spurring her other two teammates to grudgingly concede.

The trek was solemn and dreary because an unseen, large gray thundercloud loomed over Tatsuo's and his wife's head. Their daughter, who was too young to be fully aware of the current situation, hummed happy tunes while holding on to her mother's hand. The action disturbed Sakura greatly. She couldn't believe someone, even if they were naïve, could be so happy when a little boy's life was on the line. It wasn't normal unless the person was mad or sadistic.

But it wasn't just the family's gloomy cloud affecting the atmosphere, making it thick with tension. Sasuke, who instantly disliked her upon learning about her addition to Team Seven, constantly gave her dirty looks which she gladly reciprocated with hateful glares of her own. In her mind, she envisioned herself pummeling the bratty Uchiha into a bloody pulp and loving every minute of it. He deserved a good beating. It would teach him not to be rude, self-centered and spiteful.

Aside from the little girl, Naruto also appeared to be in good spirits. Although he wasn't in his usual sunshiny happy-go-lucky mood, he was still genuinely happy. His cheery mood didn't disturb her as much as the little girl's, but she was still amazed by how easily Naruto could be so full of joy, which was probably the reason why she wasn't as disturbed. Being happy was first nature for Naruto. Sure, he became frustrated or angry sometimes, but that was human nature.

For him, being happy was an unconscious action, much like breathing. There was no need for trying, he just was.

Of course, she knew he still held resentment for her. It was difficult – almost painful – to replace a deceased loved one, especially, if the replacement was a total stranger. Putting herself in Naruto's shoes, she imagined herself responding harshly to the sudden news of a replacement, even hating the stranger to an unreasonable extent like Sasuke. When she glanced at Naruto, she could see his cerulean orbs sparkling with cheer, but underneath the soft waves of blue she could clearly see a swirling darkness.

Naruto, Sasuke and herself formed a triangular barrier around Tatsuo and his family. Naruto and she made up the two frontal base points and Sasuke made up the apex, which was perfectly fine with her. She preferred traveling alongside Naruto. The entire trip she could feel Sasuke's intense glare practically burning into her back. She wanted to confront him and ask what his deal was, but she didn't want to cause a commotion especially, since the family they were escorting was already on edge. She decided to wait until they were in the safety of the village and after they were all recuperated to approach him. If she was lucky, maybe his contempt would dissipate over the course of a few days.

After two and a half days of grueling traveling, the six of them finally made it to the village weary and ravaged looking, the sun beginning to set over the horizon. Halfway through their journey, they realized too late their sloppy preparation, running out of food on the afternoon of the half way mark. They rummaged through their packs and discovered emptiness. Their frantic packing caused them to prepare only personal items, pushing all thoughts of a three day travel from their minds. As a result, Sasuke and Naruto were forced to go fishing at rivers along the way while she remained at the campsite. Of course, Sasuke's glare intensified, probably annoyed that they had to do the dirty work, while Naruto grumbled unhappily. Sakura volunteered to go fishing instead but the boys' manly pride clouded their judgment, spouting excuses and saying it would be better if she stayed with Tatsuo. She merely shrugged her shoulders and sat down on a log to rest her sore legs.

The villages' gate guardians saluted them as they passed by, which they returned with half hearted salutes. At least Naruto and she gave Izumo and Kotetsu salutes. Sasuke simply offered a slight tilt of his head and continued walking as if he didn't acknowledge their presence. She rolled her eyes. Sometimes, she couldn't believe how easily Sasuke's mood was dampened, and how lengthy his disdain rolled on. She could understand his disdain for her, but to let it transcend onto other people was something she couldn't tolerate.

"You know, you don't have to be such a prick to other people Uchiha. Just because you loathe me, it doesn't mean you should be so rude to other people." She steeled herself when he stopped in his tracks. She knew it was probably too early to say anything at all to the aggravated Sasuke but she couldn't help it.

"Hn, how I act is none of your concern Haruno. And what makes you think I loathe you? You're barely worth a glance." She gawked at his back as he continued walking ahead. He basically told her she was trash, lower than trash even. She swiftly marched up to him and roughly pulled on his arm to turn him around.

"At least look me in the eyes when you talk shit about me Uchiha." She was seething. Barely three weeks passed since her addition to Team Seven and one of its members was already calling her garbage.

"Listen. How you act to others," she jabbed a thumb over her shoulder at Izumo and Kotetsu who were watching their interaction with anxious eyes, "is my concern and don't you dare say it's not. I know, for an unjust reason, that you hate me right now."

"I told you, you're not even worth a-!"

"Fine, I'm not worth a glance but you're not worth standing in the same presence with!" She internally rejoiced when she saw the hands in his shorts fist up and the muscles in his shoulders tense. She didn't know why, but seeing him get riled up by her words pleased her. It made her feel like she had power over him.

"What did you-"

"Get over yourself Uchiha. I don't care what you say, or what you do. Just don't let your ugly emotions for me affect innocent people or next time, I won't come at your chicken butt head with petty words." She brusquely walked past Sasuke, making a point of her words by roughly bumping into his shoulder.

The sooner she could report to Minato, the sooner she could go home and beat the crap out of her pillow while imagining a certain Uchiha's head. As she walked away she could hear Naruto trying to suppress his sniggers but to no avail. A second later he burst out laughing which made a triumphant smirk form on her face.

"Ahaha! She told you off Teme! Chicken butt head! Oh man, I'm gonna use that one for sure."

"Shut up Dobe!"

She was making progress with Team Seven. Her effort to save Toshiaki proved to Kakashi that she wasn't useless. Naruto offered her a half hearted hand at the poolside. Now, she pissed off Sasuke without trying too hard. One win for Sakura, zero for Sasuke.

* * *

><p>Sitting with one leg propped up and one leg dangling precariously on the bough of a nearby tree, a charmingly handsome young man watched the exchange below with growing interest. Never had he seen someone, much less a female, act so defiantly towards his younger brother. It was especially surprising because it was a female. Generally, the females in Konoha, even those of an older age, fawned over Sasuke. But the pink haired girl angrily stalking away told him off and even shoved his shoulder. It was an extremely rare sight indeed.<p>

"What did you do ototo, to receive such harshness from the pink haired one?" His words drifted away with the gently blowing breeze.

It was about time he meddled with his brother's affairs. Sasuke was always blind to the greater picture. He had a narrow field of perspective, tending to abide only by what he felt and believed. It took a stern voice and continuous coaxing to make him budge and head in the right direction. As his older brother, he wasn't about to let the female who would probably be the only female other than their mother able to humble Sasuke, waltz out of Sasuke's life.

His younger brother needed a woman like that. He needed a woman who was spunky and brave enough to confront him, to let him know when his actions crossed the line. He needed a woman who judged people based on character, personality, rather than appearances alone. He needed a woman who was fierce and strong like a lioness, able to fend her own and protect her family. Lastly, Sasuke needed a woman who would love him unconditionally regardless of any circumstance, who wouldn't abandon him for another man or for whatever reason.

He stared at the minimizing red clothed back of the pink haired girl, trying to recall her name but couldn't. Slowly, a delicate, blooming cherry blossom materialized in the confines of his mind and he knew her name.

"Sakura." He smirked when she stopped walking and turned around as if someone had called her name, but looked baffled when she found no one. She would make an excellent Mrs. Sakura Uchiha.

* * *

><p>Sakura sighed as she made her way towards the grocery store, minutes after her visit with Toshiaki. He was doing fine, stable, with strong heartbeats and even breathing. The medic ninjas watching over him said if Kakashi had arrived a second later, he would've died. She thanked Kami above that he was spared.<p>

A nice warm feeling enveloped her heart when she gazed at his sleeping face. He looked so innocent and peaceful, and she wished he could just stay naïve and unmarred by the terror of the world they lived in. But she knew he could never be truly protected from the evils that surrounded him. One day, he would experience great calamity and suffer from intense pain. Until that day came, she promised to help him with his childish pranks as long as it prolonged his bliss.

Ever since she joined Team Seven, she's been receiving nothing but strange vibes from its members and from the Hokage. Her brows knit together in thought and her body switched to autopilot mode as she recalled giving Team Seven's report to Minato the previous day.

_"Hm, I see. Well, good job you three. Naruto, Sasuke, take Tatsuo-san and his family to the hospital to see Toshiaki-kun. I'm sure their anxious to see how he's doing. Then, from there, a nurse will take over and take them to a temporary living space where they'll stay as Toshiaki-kun recovers." Naruto grumbled something akin to "yeah, yeah, old man" and Sasuke responded with blunt "hn." Sakura couldn't believe how informal they were acting with the Hokage. She understood that Naruto was his son and that Sasuke was his son's best friend, but that didn't give them the merit to be so casual. She huffed in annoyance at her two new teammates._

_"Sakura, please stay. I want to discuss something briefly with you." Minato gave her a knowing look, telling her with his eyes the subject of the discussion before any words were spoken. Internally, she winced, not yet willing to share anything of that nature._

_"Hai, Hokage-sama." Unlike Naruto and Sasuke, she knew to be respectful to her higher ups._

_"Alright, Naruto, Sasuke, you two may leave." Naruto gave her a small smile and a small wave before exiting the office doors with his hands latched nonchalantly together behind his head. Sasuke glared at her, unsurprisingly, and left the office with his hands shoved deep into his pockets. Sakura returned his glare, increasing its effect by glaring at him until he stepped over the threshold of the office and disappeared from her view._

_"Is there something going on between you and Sasuke?" When she turned to look at Minato one blond brow was raised suspiciously, and she could picture the gears in his head spinning. She knew he was coming up with ridiculous assumptions, assumptions that – if she didn't squander them early – would develop into endless teasing._

_"No, there is most definitely nothing going on between me and Uchiha."_

_"Are you sure? Because you look like you want to rip my head off." She blushed realizing she must have been looking at Minato while imagining Sasuke's head, which she desperately wanted to make into a punching bag._

_"Yes, I'm sure." A deep sigh escaped past her lips. The past few weeks were long and emotionally, physically and mentally draining. All she wanted right now was to go home, eat a comforting home cooked meal, take an unwinding hot shower, and knock out. She wished Minato would quit dilly dallying and just get straight to the point. That Kakashi reported to him about her strange new ability, and he wanted to know how she learned it._

_"I'm sure you know what I want to discuss, Sakura." She gazed into Minato's aged looking eyes, his beautiful pools of ocean blue that his only son inherited. In them, she could see patience, understanding and speculation. He was keeping to his word that he would wait until she was ready._

_"I don't know what kind of technique I used. All I know is that when I closed my eyes to try and think of a way to save him, a hand glowing with greenish chakra surfaced and a voice inside my head just told me to do, not think. When I lifted my hand over Toshiaki's chest, I felt chakra slowly build in my hand, and suddenly I could clearly sense his body and chakra systems." She observed Minato for any reactions saying he thought she was crazy, but he only looked intently at the wood of his desk with knit brows and a hand rubbing his chin._

_"A voice you say?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Strange."_

_"…"_

_"Did it sound like anyone you know?"_

_"It was my voice." Minato's already confused state grew more baffled by her answer._

_"Your voice?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Interesting."_

_"…"_

_"Anything else Sakura?" She bit her lip, debating whether now was a good time to ask Minato about the blonde woman in her dream. After ten seconds of mental bickering, she decided now was as good a time as any to try and uncover the identity of the mysterious woman._

_Minato said he would be patient with her as long as she honored their compact and shared the strange events currently unfolding in her life. Emitting another tired sigh, she shared one of the many things weighing heavily on her mind since their arrival at the resort._

_"Yes. During one of my naps at the resort, I dreamt of a woman with big breasts and blonde pigtails. She was also physically powerful, able to split open the earth just as I had in the exams." She watched as Minato's eyes widened in recognition, indicating that he indeed knew the woman she was describing._

_"Tsunade."_

_Sakura repeated the name slowly, pronouncing each syllable with emphasis, as if doing so would cause a hidden memory guised as a dream to bubble up to the surface of her mind. No matter how many times she said it, no image popped up, but the name sounded familiar and it rolled off her tongue naturally, like she'd said it millions of times._

_"Who's Tsunade?"_

_"Tsunade is one of the three legendary sannin. She's the granddaughter of the first Hokage and a beautiful robust woman who could cause devastation with a single punch, courtesy of her superhuman strength." Minato's description helped her to partly realize why the name sounded so familiar. Tsunade was an important figure her class had studied about in the academy. But a nagging feeling inside Sakura told her that wasn't the only reason why she seemingly knew the woman._

_"But the one thing that she's revered for is her unparalleled – in the present day – medical prowess. She developed the first system and guidelines of medic ninjas, and healed countless souls, millimeters away from the realms of death. She truly is an astounding kunoichi." The image of the hand glowing with chakra and her dream of Tsunade suddenly flashed in her mind. Then, like a movie reel being projected onto a screen, images and dreams from the past several years began playing, pushing aside all thoughts and filling her brain with numerous scenes._

_The surge of images mingled with dreams became overwhelming and in a matter of minutes, she was gripping her head in pain. She felt like it was about to explode, strained from the constant influx of images. In her haze, she could faintly hear someone calling out her name. The regurgitation of pictures and dreams came to a screeching halt when a pair of large warm hands firmly grabbed her shoulders and gently shook her._

_"Sakura, snap out of it! Sakura!"_

_"Ngh, what happened?" She blinked dazedly, gathered her bearings, then looked up to find Minato standing in front of her, his hands gripping onto her shoulders and keeping her steady._

_"I don't know but after I said Tsunade was a gifted medic, you spaced out on me and you developed this weird light in your eyes. It was like your body was here, but your mind existed somewhere else. Then, you started gripping your head and groaning in pain." Minato was staring at her with worried oceanic eyes, his blond brows furrowed with concern._

_"I spaced out?" Sakura looked down and scrunched her eyebrows, trying to recall the plethora of dreams mixed with still pictures._

_"Oh no you don't! Sakura, I think it'd be best if you just went home now and rested up. I'm sure the fatigue of the mission is negatively affecting you."_

_"But Hokage-sama I can still-!"_

_"No buts. Go home and get rest. We'll continue this discussion later on." She was about to open her mouth to say she felt fine but Minato pinched her lips shut, turned her around and smoothly guided her towards the office doors. When she was over the threshold she quickly swiveled one hundred eighty degrees but was met by the soft click of the office doors. Her shoulders sagged. The adrenaline coursing through her arteries and veins, giving her strength for the last several days, finally dissolved, and fatigue rolled over in heavy waves. Upon arriving home, she simply trudged up the stairs, ignoring the saliva inducing aroma of freshly grilled brisket, dragged her feet past the shower and dumped her tired body onto her bed. In the morning she thanked Kami for an undisturbed dreamless sleep._

Shaking the memory from her mind, she switched back to manual mode, maneuvering her way around the other shoppers and making her way towards an aisle loaded with fresh produce. She procured the list of ingredients her mom wrote for her and scanned the aisle for the vegetables her mom needed to make beef curry. One by one, she mentally checked off the required items on the list until a bag of potatoes was the only ingredient not crossed off by a mental straight dark line. She looked around the aisle for the potatoes and saw the sale sign propped up next to a large wooden crate. Looking inside, she frowned when she found it empty except for patches of dirt here and there where the soil had spilt from the potatoes.

"Looking for potatoes?" A deep masculine voice reached her ears and she realized the question was directed to her.

"Yes. Would you guys happen to have-?" The words died in her mouth, losing volume with each word. Standing before her, casually holding two bags of potatoes, was a gorgeous man she'd never encountered before. He had long light black hair tied back in a loose ponytail, clear ivory skin, a muscular physique and friendly charcoal eyes. He strangely resembled someone she knew, but she couldn't pinpoint exactly who.

She was really getting tired of thinking people were "familiar."

Realizing she was ogling the man with a stupid schoolgirl blush on her cheeks, she cleared her throat and finished her answer. "Yes, I'm looking for potatoes. But it looks like there aren't any left. Would you happen to know where I could find more?" Her blush deepened when he smiled beautifully, his eyes forming into crescent moons, and held out one of the bags of tubers. She internally cursed her stupid blushing self and tried in vain to forcefully suppress the increasing heat in her cheeks.

"No, I couldn't." She held out her hand in a halting sign, respectfully refusing the offer.

The man lifted one delicate eyebrow before gracefully placing the bag of potatoes inside the wooden crate.

"What are you-?"

"My mother doesn't need two bags of potatoes. One bag will last our family for at least a week." The man gave her a charming smile with twinkling expectant eyes.

"Oh, I see." Sakura fidgeted with the hem of her shirt before mentally smacking herself and bending down to retrieve the bag.

"Thank you-?" The words of gratitude stopped in her mouth. She didn't know the man's name.

"Itachi. Uchiha Itachi."

"Oh, my name's Sakura and well, thank you Itachi-san." She bowed down slightly and turned around to walk away when a thought struck her and she made the connection. She whipped around so fast she heard a few bones crack and discovered an amused smirk tipping on the edge of Itachi's mouth.

"Yes Sakura-san?" He was looking at her with expectant charcoal eyes.

"You wouldn't happen to be Sasuke's brother, would you?" She almost fell flat on her face when Itachi responded with a deep, rumbling "Aa."

"But how can that be! He's such a jerk and you're so nice!" Itachi arched his brow and her eyes widened realizing what she just blurted out.

"I-I mean, uh, how can that be! I thought Sasuke was an only child?"

"It's fine. I know Sasuke can be a jerk at times. But usually, he's a rather pleasant person." Itachi stepped aside to reveal Sasuke about two dozen feet away, helping who was mostly like their mom carry heavy looking bags of meat. They were heading in Itachi and her direction.

When Sasuke caught sight of her talking to his brother his eyes widened then narrowed into his usual glare, his hands automatically fisting up. His mother, suddenly sensing hostility radiating off her son, looked at Sasuke quizzically then followed his glare to her. She looked further puzzled before a light bulb lit up in her head and her eyes alit with excitement.

From Sakura's distance she could see Mrs. Uchiha's mouth moving, talking animatedly with Sasuke. The said boy, on the other hand, spoke grudgingly and with disinterest. Mrs. Uchiha smacked his arm before pulling him along with her to Itachi and her position by the crate of potatoes.

The atmosphere rose to a whole new level of awkward when Mrs. Uchiha and Sasuke stopped several feet in front of her, and Mrs. Uchiha just stared at her with a smile as charming as Itachi's. Sakura returned to fidgeting with the hem of her shirt, unsure of how to act around the matriarch of the Uchiha clan.

"Um, hello." She offered lamely.

"Oh! Where are my manners? My name's Mikoto. I'm Itachi's and Sasuke's mother. I see you've already met Itachi." Mikoto nodded her head to a smirking Itachi.

Mikoto was a beautiful woman. She had long flowing inky tresses, blemish-free ivory skin, a petite curvy body, symmetrical aristocratic facial features and deep warm pools of onyx. It struck Sakura that Sasuke greatly resembled his mother. They had the same shade of black hair and the same tone of skin. They had the same facial structure and even the same mesmerizing black eyes.

"I'm Sakura Haruno. It's a pleasure to meet you." Sakura mustered up enough courage to look directly into Mikoto's eyes, aware but ignorant of the heat in her cheeks.

"Oh look at you! Silky smooth pink hair. A radiant complexion. Soft feminine features. A toned body. Large beautiful emerald eyes. You're absolutely beautiful Sakura-chan, unique!" The heat in Sakura's cheeks increased with each compliment the Uchiha matriarch gave.

"Thank you Uchiha-san. You're extremely beautiful yourself." She couldn't believe how calm she sounded when her insides were a bundle of nerves.

"Please, call me Mikoto." She stared at Mikoto with speculative wonder. The woman standing and smiling friendly before her was dissimilar to Sasuke. She was charming where Sasuke was surly. She was polite where Sasuke was rude. She was friendly where Sasuke was an asshole. The only thing the two shared in common was godly looks. Of course, her current contempt for Sasuke was simply clouding her perception of Sasuke, so she didn't truly know his personality. But at the moment, it was hard to believe Sasuke was birthed by such a lovable woman.

"Oh! Before I forget, Fugaku and I want to apologize for Sasuke's recent behavior towards you. Ita-kun has reported to me that he has been acting like an, how do I say this, asshole? Yes, asshole. So, please, accept my family's humblest apologies." Mikoto bowed down at her waist causing the blush on Sakura's cheeks to flame up in embarrassment. The Uchiha matriarch was apologizing and bowing to her at a grocery store in front of shoppers who would most likely spread rumors. Behind Mikoto, Sasuke looked irritated.

"Ah, there's no need to apologize Uchi-, er, Mikoto-san! It's just silly bickering between teammates!"

"Nonsense! I know Sasu-kun can be a little harsh sometimes. He's having a hard time coping with the loss of-!" Mikoto was interrupted by Sasuke who scoffed. His head was turned sideways, glaring at some poor vegetable.

"Ah, I'm sorry Sakura-chan. It's too touchy to talk about."

"It's okay…"

"…" A few seconds of silence passed between the four of them, seeming to stretch on forever. Even Itachi, who Sakura thought was permanently composed, shifted uncomfortably from side to side. Luckily, Mikoto dispelled the tension in the atmosphere by clapping her hands together and smiling as bright as Minato or Naruto.

"I know! Sakura-chan, join us for dinner tomorrow night!"

"What!" Both Sasuke and she shouted in unison. Sasuke transferred his glare from the vegetable to her which she returned, but wavered when Mikoto lifted a questioning eyebrow. Next to Sasuke, Itachi was smirking, watching the exchange with light amusement.

"I-I mean, I couldn't! Your offer is kind but I don't' think I could-!" She was interrupted when Mikoto grabbed the shopping basket and bag of potatoes from her hands and deposited the items into Sasuke's available hand. His eyes widened in surprise before narrowing to almost thin slits. If Sasuke was irritated before, he was seething like an angered wild beast now.

"You will eat with us tomorrow night no exceptions. Now, let's go to the front counter so we can pay for our things. Sasu-kun, just place Sakura-chan's things with ours. I'll pay for it."

"But-!"

"Hm, hm, hm I can't hear you!" Sakura turned to Itachi for help but received a shrug in return. The elder Uchiha brother trailed after his cheerily humming mother, leaving her and Sasuke standing alone.

"Hn, you're so annoying."

"And you're a chicken butt head bastard." If Mikoto hadn't offered to pay for her things, she was positive Sasuke would have trampled all over them.

* * *

><p>He smiled wickedly as shinobi shuffled around in a panic, similar to those in Iwagakure. It seemed every time there was an epidemic, the automatic reaction was to run around and block off entrances, and quarantine homes. He watched as a man stabbed a shinobi to try and penetrate the erected barrier, but was quickly shut down by three more shinobi.<p>

He marveled at how easily he was able to take down Kirigakure. The mist was supposed to be an impenetrable shield and yet, he was able to dispel the shameful water vapor and inject the poison into the village.

"Ku, ku, ku. Pathetic." He turned around and leisurely followed the trail back into the mountain range, relishing in the sound of sorrow-filled screams erupting from the throats of mourning families

Two villages down, three more to go.

* * *

><p>Hey guys one more thing! I know some of you guys, including myself, absolutely despise OCs. Trust me, I despise them too. But I firmly believe I needed to include them to propel this story forwards. So please continue reading and don't let strange, new characters discourage you!<p>

Remember to READ & REVIEW! :D


	7. Anew

A/N: Hey everyone! Since you guys gave me such wonderful reviews, I decided to exert extra effort into hashing out another chapter. You all need to be thankful. I wasn't going to update anymore this week. I'd be ecstatic to be payed in reviews!

**FOR THOSE WHO LIVE IN CA:** I didn't make the cut for UCSD and UCLA. Anyone apply to a UC? PM me and let me know!

**CurlyHairRocksXD17** asked, "Does Naruto still have the demon inside of him?" **My **answer, "Continue reading, and you'll eventually find out!"

**Quirming** said, "This story rocks, and I've loved puzzling things out so far. (Well.. I *think* I've puzzled it out, but I guess we'll see in later chapters. xD)." **My** response, "I want to know what you think!"

**SapphireRivulet**, **SasuSakuKawaii** and **Reignashii** say they love the Uchihas v. Sakura moment at the end of Ch. 6. **My** response, "Shannaro!"

**Standard disclaimer applies.**

I think you guys will love this chapter.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7 Anew<strong>

Sakura walked at a snail's pace, trying to prolong the traveling time to the Uchiha compound. She couldn't do this, not with the noblest clan in Konoha. She couldn't eat dinner with the Uchiha's, it was too frightening.

When Mikoto had fervently insisted the previous evening that she would join her and her family for dinner, she grudgingly accepted her fate, comforted by the fact that the dinner would be brief. However, throughout the course of her day, numerous thoughts of possible mishaps sprung up in her mind and now her resolve was crumbling, falling rapidly to the floor in hundreds of tiny pieces.

She imagined many things. She saw herself accidentally knocking over a glass of water, or some other beverage, spilling its contents over someone's lap. She could see the way her shaking hand, from the built up nervousness, clumsily grasped a serving dish as it was being passed to her. She visualized in slow motion and with real horror as it fell from her grasp and clattered on the dinner table in a messy heap. She could almost feel the anger radiate from Mikoto as the matriarch stared sorrowfully at the dozens of porcelain pieces littering their beautiful wooden floors. Most of all, Sakura could feel the embarrassment welling up within her as she thought about enduring the entire meal with food hanging conspicuously from her mouth or chin. Every possibility was dreadful, filling every step towards the Uchiha compound with growing apprehension.

When she told her mom about the not-so-inescapable dinner invitation, her mom had initially stared with wide eyes before narrowing them into tiny slits and answering with a vehement no. Of course she protested, remembering how Mikoto left her no room for excuses, but her mom bounced off all her words with angry silence. Feeling like it was useless trying to coax her mom for permission she trudged up the stairs and into her room, deciding to wait for her dad who would undoubtedly be able to persuade her brooding mom.

She was right. When her dad arrived home and she told him her current situation, he immediately set to work on tearing down her mom's stubbornness. She eavesdropped from the top of the stairs as her dad hacked away at the stubborn wall her mom constructed, sadly receiving shouts of accusation and disbelief in the process. Sakura winced every time her mom's voice raised an octave in both pitch and volume, signaling her steadily growing anger, and every time, her own growing guilt increased, feeling terrible for making her dad endure her mom's wrath alone. Summoning up enough courage – but still feeling a little shaken up – she took feeble steps down the stairs and entered slowly into the inferno that was her mom.

It had taken almost an hour of constant bantering back and forth before her mom finally conceded, and allowed her to attend the dinner but on two conditions: one that she wouldn't make a fool of herself, and two that she would be home by, at max, ten pm sharp. Sakura almost whooped for joy, glad that her mom gave her a time constraint. Not only did it satisfy her mom, but it eased her bundle of nerves. It meant that she would only have to stay at Mikoto's house for several hours. However, the first condition deflated her joy thus, the reason why she _almost_ whooped for joy.

She didn't understand why her mom was placing so much emphasis on not embarrassing herself. She would never embarrass herself intentionally. Doing so would make her retarded. The first condition popped her short lived bubble of comfort, and added additional weight to her growing anxiety.

Unfortunately, the heated debate between her and her dad versus her mom had left her mom unwilling. She refused to cook dinner for the both of them and furiously stomped up the stairs and into her room, closing the door with a harsh slam. She turned to her dad then and gave him a tight hug, letting him know how grateful she was for all his support. Her dad grunted and ruffled her hair in response before walking into the kitchen then back in a span of two seconds. One look at the bareness of the kitchen table had spurred him to treat them both out to dinner at a nearby grill. He didn't have the energy to make dinner.

While the two of them were eating, Sakura decided to finally ask her dad why her mom viciously detested social gatherings with people high on the social apparatus. The peaceful atmosphere surrounding them tensed up immediately, and she watched as the food, on its way to enter his mouth, stopped midway and was lowered back to his plate. His brows scrunched up almost in remembrance, a frown briefly marring his aging but still handsome face, before his countenance eased completely and he answered with a gruff past. She opened her mouth to try and delve deeper into the mystery but stopped herself when her dad sighed and excused himself to go to the men's room. For the remainder of the night, she left her dad to his own devices, sensing his discomfort and realizing her insensitivity. Knowing him, he would tell her randomly one day when he was ready.

Similar to the day when her and her family went to the celebration party hosted by Minato, the setting sun lit up the sky with brilliant warm hues, preparing for the moon's ascension into the heavens, and allowing the gentle sweeping breezes to cool down. She watched expectantly as paper lanterns along the path bloomed to life with flickering flames, casting dancing shadows on the dirt road. The sound of merrily laughing children running home, their parents calling them dutifully, and the buzzing hum of lively chit-chat from the relaxing villagers helped to calm her frayed nerves. She would always love evenings in Konoha. The atmosphere was always light and bursting with life, energy and warmth, despite the tiredness of the villagers. She would say it was partly due to the Will of Fire, but dispelled the notion. Any hardworking individual, regardless of their background, would choose to unwind in a happy manner after spending the whole day working their butts off.

She smiled as an especially young child, probably two or three years old, walked with shaky legs to his waiting father with a hand plunged in his mouth. When the father squatted and opened up his arms, a loving smile on his face, the toddler took his hand out of his mouth and emitted the most adorable baby sounds she ever heard. His innocent baby's laughter, sparkling gray eyes and cute three-toothed smile tugged warmly on her heart strings, helping to further dissipate the anxiety swirling at the pit of her stomach.

After twenty minutes of deliberately slow walking – it really should have taken only ten with her normal walking speed – she arrived at the front door of Mikoto's house. Even with her sluggish pace, she was still ten minutes early. The dinner was slated for seven pm and she was standing in front of the door at six fifty. She cursed her instilled virtue of punctuality. It caused – more like forced – her to leave her house thirty minutes early. While she was usually proud of her punctuality, now was not one of those times. The calmed jittering nerves were resurfacing and with a vengeance.

Her face paled as she brought her hand up to knock on the door, but froze about an inch from the dark stained wood when it was suddenly pulled open. In front of her stood, regrettably, one of the most beautiful sights she'd ever seen.

Sasuke was standing before her clad in nothing but shorts and a towel rubbing his wet raven locks, fresh from a shower. Her eyes gravitated to his naked torso on their own, moving in a downwards motion starting from his chest and ending at his toning abdominal muscles, where they remained glued for what felt like an eternity. God, how she wished she could just stare at abs for an eternity. It was an amazing feat that an almost thirteen year old boy could have such great looking abs. But it was believable considering Sasuke was a conditioned ninja.

A single glistening droplet of water trailed down his abs and soaked into the waistband of his exposed black silk boxers. She noticed that up close, his skin truly was flawless and a tanned shade of ivory, speaking of days where he trained shirtless. Sakura's mind began to wander down the lane of a naked Sasuke working out vigorously in the hot sun, his body glistening with manly sweat, defining all the contours of his muscles. She nearly drooled at the conjured image.

Sakura didn't notice she was ogling him until Sasuke cleared his throat. She instantly snapped her eyes to the side and used all her willpower to keep them glued on the door frame, and not on his abs, but it was quickly a losing fight. An embarrassed blush rose on her cheeks and she cursed the pubescent stage of life for the added level of hormones.

"What're you doing here Haruno?" Sasuke was looking at her with one eyebrow raised, one hand shoved into a short pocket while the other continued to dry his hair.

"Don't you remember Uchiha? Your mom invited me to dinner and left me no room to reason out." She increased her volume when she said the left me no room to reason out part. She wanted Sasuke to know that she didn't willingly decide to come. She was forced.

"Hn, I don't remember that. Now, if you're finished ogling me, you can-!"

"Come in now." Behind Sasuke, Itachi approached with a pleasant smile. Sasuke glared at his brother, obviously disliking how Itachi cut him off and invited her in.

"Don't look at me like that Sasuke. You know she's more than welcome here." Itachi smiled at her, which she returned with a friendly smile of her own. She wondered why Itachi had inherited all the likable traits, while Sasuke inherited none. It was weird considering Sasuke took on more of his mother than Itachi did.

Sasuke continued to glare at his brother and didn't budge, effectively blocking Sakura entrance into the house. Itachi sighed before body flickering between the two of them.

"Go and finish dressing up Sasuke. It's rude to be half naked in the presence of a beautiful young lady."

"Yeah? Well it looks like she wants to see me more than half naked." The blush on Sakura's cheeks grew hotter with embarrassment. She couldn't believe the gall of Sasuke, insinuating that she wanted to see him bare, package and all.

"Excuse me?" Even though she was at a noble clan's house, she would not tolerate being degraded so brashly. She was about to politely push past Itachi and punch Sasuke in the stomach but Itachi lifted up his arm and rested it against the door frame, preventing her from reaching the lucky bastard. Sasuke looked over his shoulder at her, taunting her with an infuriating smirk. However, it was quickly wiped off his face when Itachi gracefully, always gracefully, lifted a leg back and shoved his rear end.

"Go now before I make you go." Sasuke glared at Itachi again before angrily walking away, the towel resting on his head, his hands fisted at his sides.

"I apologize for my brother's rude behavior. It's unacceptable. I'll be sure to talk to him about it later."

"It's okay." Sakura reigned in her growing anger. She hated how easily Sasuke could cause her blood to boil. It was frustrating. Any other time, she would have hurt him any way she could, but she was at his home so she needed to be mindful and respectful.

"Now, if you would, please come in. My mother has been eagerly waiting for you." Itachi stepped to the side and held the door open, graciously ushering her in with an arm extended outwards, towards the inside of the building.

She had never been to Sasuke's house before, or any other part of the Uchiha compound for that matter, and was surprised by the house's simplicity. She expected to see painted walls, extravagant furnishings, expensive décor, and perfectly paneled wood floors. But all she could see were plain white walls, simple furnishings, modest décor, and regular wood floors. The ordinariness of the main Uchiha house genuinely surprised her, so much that she wasn't aware of her gawking facial expression.

"Does the house surprise you?" She turned to Itachi. He was smiling knowingly at her, as if he could read her thoughts.

"Yes—I mean, it's not what I expected. I thought it would be a little more," she rummaged through her vocabulary for an appropriate but respectful word and had a difficult time finding one so she settled with, "elegant?" She mentally berated herself. She shouldn't have said that. It made her sound like she thought their home looked like crap.

"I-I mean-"

"It's perfectly alright. When Naruto-kun first saw the inside of our house, he was so straightforward he said it looked plain and boring." Sakura's eyes widened, shocked that Naruto had the nerve to say something so insulting about a noble clan's house.

"He said that!"

"Aa, and he also said that it could use some of his great decorating expertise to which I gladly snorted." Itachi smirked, remembering when the bold vivacious blond first walked into the living room. He was so surprised he laughed out of amusement and disbelief.

Sakura snorted. Naruto, assuredly, did not have great decorating expertise. He didn't even have great fashion sense. She cringed, thinking about the harsh clash of his orange and blue jumpsuit.

"Well, shall we head to the kitchen and dining area now Sakura-san?" Itachi extended his arm towards a softly lit hallway to her left.

"Yes." She followed Itachi as he led the way down the hall. As she drew closer to the cooking-eating area, an enticing aroma invaded her nostrils and elicited an embarrassing growl from her stomach. She clutched her stomach and hummed a small tune, hoping to hide the embarrassing sounds. A few steps ahead of her, Itachi chuckled lightly.

The light at the end of the hall brightened. Itachi kept walking forward and into the brightly lit room. Sakura hesitated for a moment before mustering up all the leftover courage in her system and stepping into the dining area. She was met by cold calculating charcoal eyes penetrating deep into her soul.

* * *

><p>The reason why Sasuke scarcely inherited his mother's wonderful personality traits is because he mostly inherited his father's cold ones. Sakura noted this with slight disdain.<p>

From what she could analyze, Fugaku Uchiha was a stern and reserved man. His form was tense, ready to spring into action at a moment's notice. His hands were intertwined together in front of the lower half of his face, so that his charcoal eyes were the only things visible, a stance Sasuke was usually found in during class or anywhere he was seated. Fugaku's eyes were intimidating and mostly unreadable, hiding everything within their depths from the light, keeping the man within an enigma.

When she first walked into the room, his eyes were calculating, taking her in and sizing her up. Then, throughout the course of the dinner, his eyes became uncaring, detached, void of any other emotions other than an underlying coldness. It made her internally shiver.

It puzzled her how a sweet and warm woman like Mikoto, could fall in love with and eventually marry a man like Fugaku. It was similar to her parental unit's attraction. She never understood how her mom, who was loud and fiery, married her dad who was collected and serene. Sure, her dad was a handsome fellow. People who grew up with her parents would occasionally tell her stories of her dad's teenage and young adult years. A lot of women fawned over him, dubbing him as the calm and cool hunk. But looks could only take a person so far before another driving force was required to intervene.

In a way, the concept made sense. In physics, polar opposites of a magnet were attracted to each other. So in the world of attraction, friendliness belonged to coldness and spiritedness belonged to collectedness.

As the dinner progressed, she continued to see more of Fugaku present in Sasuke, even in the way they ate and interacted. Whereas Mikoto and Itachi ate enthusiastically – Mikoto more so than Itachi – savoring every bite, talking with bright smiles and light laughter, Fugaku and Sasuke ate passively, eating for the sole purpose of providing nutrition to their bodies, barely offering any words of insight in the discussion. It continued to perplex her how energetic women could fall for stoic men.

When Mikoto started to recount a story from Sasuke's childhood, causing Sasuke to grip onto his chopsticks tightly and glare at his plate, Sakura half listened and half zoned out to dwell more on the perplexity of attraction. She supposed aloofness in men was an appealing trait. It emphasized their strength, masculinity and sex appeal.

Her mind wandered to the times in the academy when numerous girls swooned over Sasuke. He would simply respond with a smirk and his usual monosyllabic answer – another trait he shared with Fugaku – which would turn the fan girls' swooning into a tempest of nerve grating gushing. Sasuke didn't speak sweet nothings into their ears, compliment them on their beauty, or perform any tender actions of affection and yet, he had ninety-nine percent of the female population in the class worshipping the ground he walked on. It was aggravating.

Thankfully, Mikoto kept the conversation light and casual. She retold many humorous stories about both of her son's childhood days, producing glares from Sasuke, indifference from Fugaku and chuckles from Itachi, who was carefree enough to add details Mikoto left out. Half of the time, Sakura laughed because the story was actually funny. The other half of the time, she laughed for the sole gratifying purpose of irking Sasuke. She enjoyed the way his right eye would twitch and he'd grit his teeth. It was probably degrading for him for Mikoto to reveal so much embarrassing information to a girl their family barely knew, much less, was acquainted with.

She was also grateful that the Uchiha matriarch didn't try and delve too much into her personal life. Mikoto would inquire here and there, interjecting thoughtful questions regarding trivial matters such as – did she have a boyfriend, what was her favorite color, was her hair naturally pink, what kinds of delicacies made her mouth water.

Sakura was glad she didn't inquire too much because if she did, she wouldn't know how to answer the beautiful female version of Sasuke. She barely knew anything about her dad's history save for the stories that people told her, let alone her mom's. It scared her to know that she practically knew nothing about her parents. She made a mental note to bug her parents about their mysterious backgrounds so that if there every came a time where someone, probably Mikoto, asked about her family, she'd be ready.

Halfway through dessert, an involuntary yawn escaped past her lips. She covered her mouth with her hand and idly glanced at the clock hanging on the wall adjacent to Sasuke, the tugs of sleep beginning to pull on her eyelids. It read nine thirty, signaling it was time for her departure.

Mikoto was halfway through another story, one involving Sasuke wailing because his vanilla ice cream fell out of his cone and plopped onto the ground, when Sakura interrupted.

"I'm sorry Mikoto-san, I don't mean to be rude, but I think I should go now. It is nine thirty and my mom is expecting me to be home by ten pm sharp."

"Ah, of course dear! Sorry I kept you with my incessant rambling. I couldn't help myself. It's been so long since we've had the pleasure of having a very beautiful young lady over for dinner." Mikoto's eyes shined with sincerity.

Sakura blushed from the generous compliment but didn't have to guess very hard to know who she was referring to. MIkoto was obviously referring to Sasuke's deceased betrothed. Her eyes drifted over to Sasuke and widened in surprise before softening with sympathy. The bastard was wearing his usual glare, which he never seemed to take off in her presence, but now it was tinged with specks of sorrow that shined as clear as noon day. It was painful for him to be reminded of the girl he never had a chance to properly and justly love.

Suddenly feeling uncomfortable from the blaring sadness in Sasuke's eyes, she decided to speed up her dragging exit.

"Oh your stories were great Mikoto-san! I especially loved the one about four year old Itachi-san taking care of a wounded puppy." To support her claim she gave Mikoto a brilliant smile.

"Good! There's more where they came from!"

"Mm!"

Mikoto quickly mumbled something to Itachi and Sasuke until they both nodded in acknowledgment, Sasuke reluctantly, before twining her arm with Sakura's and escorting her down the hall to the front door. Sakura offered a grateful thanks bowing down slightly, before turning around to exit through the open door. However, a small delicate hand latched onto hers and slightly pulled her back. Turning around, she found Mikoto's hand holding onto hers preventing her from leaving, soft black irises shining with concern. She gazed up into the matriarch's eyes confused.

"Hold on Sakura-chan, it isn't safe for you to walk home alone at this time of night. Someone could hurt you."

"Eh? It's fine Mikoto-san! We live in one of the safest villages in the world. What could happen to me?" She laughed a little, hoping her optimistic attitude would dissolve the older woman's concern. If anything, it caused her concern to increase and Sakura could sense uneasiness beginning to grow in the pit of Mikoto's stomach.

"Mikoto-san?"

"I'm sorry but, that's what she said before, before, well, you know." Mikoto's eyes were downcast, staring at something on the ground. It was the second time Mikoto was bringing up Sasuke's dead fiancée. She was beginning to feel like Mikoto had a greater scheme bubbling inside her head, a scheme that involved her and a certain chicken butt head.

She touched Mikoto's hand with her other hand and squeezed softly. The older woman looked up at her and peered at her through long thick lashes. The worry swirling on the surface of her abysmal black eyes completely disarmed her. She couldn't grasp why she was so concerned for her well being. She only knew her for a day and a half.

They remained staring at each other for ten more seconds before Sakura sighed and furrowed her brows in thought.

"If I can't go home alone, then how will I get home?" She watched as Mikoto's facial expression significantly brightened, pleased that she was giving in to whatever she had in mind.

"Simple, Sasuke will walk you home!" Sakura almost fell over from shock.

"U-Um, actually, I think I can-!"

"Nonsense! Sasu-kun, hurry up! Sakura-chan might be late getting home!" The sound of heavy footsteps answered the woman's calls. Within seconds, Sasuke was at her side hands shoved deep inside his short's pockets, face glare-empty but still looking a bit irritated, and wearing a black military jacket.

"Great! Now, Sasu-kun, you will walk her all the way to her home and keep her safe at all times." Mikoto added emphasis to the words 'all the way' as if knowing Sasuke would abandon her halfway through the walk, which wouldn't surprise Sakura.

"Aa."

"Good boy. Now, Sakura-chan, I will ask you sometime in the very near future if Sasu-kun abandoned you halfway through. Please be honest with me and don't cover for him, but if you do try to cover for him, make sure you lie well because I will know." She couldn't see why she'd cover for Sasuke, considering his feelings towards her, but nonetheless nodded her consent.

"Okay! Now head off you two! It's getting late." With a suspicious amount of eagerness, Mikoto ushered Sasuke and her out the door but not before she caught the twinkle of mischief in her obsidian orbs.

Sasuke and she stood awkwardly outside for five seconds. Sasuke was staring at her, a delicate brow raised in expectance, and she was staring right back at him with a raised brow of her own.

"Well? It's not like I know where you live. Lead the way pinky." Sakura laughed at Sasuke's obvious attempt to insult her hair, causing Sasuke's raised brow to twitch in annoyance.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing. It's just that, well, oh never mind. It's nothing." She laughed because she was accustomed to the name. It was an endearing name, one of many that her dad dubbed her as a young girl.

"If it's nothing, quit smiling like a creep and get a move on. I don't have all night." And just as easily as the smile appeared on her face, it vanished.

"Kami Uchiha, do you always have to be such a jerk?"

"Hn." Sakura sighed and shook her head of any amounting negativity before starting towards home.

The walk to her house wasn't as horrible as she imagined it to be. The cool night air was revitalizing and the stars were shining brightly in the sky, adding to the soft rays of the moon. The sound of nocturnal animals and insects filled the silence, and Sasuke's presence was actually soothing, eliminating the loneliness she would have surely felt had she taken the walk home alone. Occasionally, she'd slip a brief glance at Sasuke since he was being so silent, each time finding his eyes shut closed and yet, he still walked with confident steps.

When she was sure he wouldn't suddenly pop open his eyes, she risked studying his face. Like the many times before, she concluded that he was breathtaking, despite her dislike for him. She watched as the wind ruffled about his hair and collar, noticing the long length of each midnight strand. His hair was black like the infinite void of space and looked as silky smooth as silk, making her want to run her fingers through it to see if it was true. Curiosity got the better of her and she slowly reached up to touch one of his billowing strands.

"Curiosity killed the cat, Haruno. What're you doing?" Sakura's eyes widened in surprise and she halted in her steps, Sasuke stopping next to her. He was looking at her with one eye open, annoyance shining in their onyx depths.

She quickly mumbled a muffled nothing and continued walking ahead, refusing to let Sasuke see the burning blush flaming on her cheeks. She was so sure he wouldn't notice her.

Three-quarters of the way to her house the temperature dropped several degrees lower. Goosebumps bloomed all along the surface of her exposed skin, forming thousands of miniscule bumps. She rubbed her hands against her arms trying to warm them up, cursing her stupidity for not bringing a jacket. She thought the night would be warm enough because it was summer, but miscalculated that the time of night also affected the temperature. Against her will, her teeth began chattering loudly, causing the blush of embarrassment to resurface. It wasn't possible that Sasuke couldn't hear her.

Out of nowhere, a black jacket materialized in front of her path, held in a fisted hand that led to a blue short sleeved shirt and a calmly walking Sasuke.

"What?"

"It's obvious that you're cold so take it."

"Again, what!" She gave Sasuke a dubious look and frowned when he didn't open his eyes.

"Just take it Haruno. The sound of your teeth chattering is annoying." Sakura's mouth dropped. It was so insensitive of him to insult her when she was freezing her limbs off.

When she still hadn't taken hold of the jacket, Sasuke pried open an eye. "I said-!"

"I know what you said! It's just you don't have to be such an asshole about it."

Sasuke exhaled a tired sigh.

"Just take it before I change my mind." Sakura stared at the black jacket before gingerly taking it by the shoulder and slipping it on. Almost at once its warmth – generated by Sasuke's body – penetrated past the layers of skin and flesh and into her chilling bones. She almost moaned in pleasure. She was also acutely aware of the woodsy musky masculine scent that invaded and filled her nostrils. It smelled amazing. Sasuke smelled amazing. The urge to moan grew stronger with each inhale.

"Thank you."

"Hn."

"But what about you? You're just wearing a short sleeved shirt."

"Hn, don't worry about me. I'm hot remember?" Sasuke smirked at her and she blushed at his innuendo.

"Whatever. You're not that hot Uchiha."

"But you still think I'm hot."

"Hmph." Sasuke chuckled amusedly, enjoying her confession.

"Shut up, chicken butt head." Sakura used all her willpower but in the end failed miserably and the rest of the way home, a small smile decorated her lips.

It was nine fifty five pm when the two of them arrived before the front door of her house. She still had five minutes to spare so when they stopped walking, she turned around to discuss something with Sasuke that came up in her mind about halfway through the walk.

"Listen, Uchiha, I want to clear things up with you." She watched Sasuke carefully, making sure she had his full undivided attention before proceeding.

"I know my addition to Team Seven has been," she searched her large vocabulary for the right word, "hard for Kakashi, Naruto and especially you." Like a fire being snubbed out, the tiny amount of mirth in his eyes – built up from their earlier interaction – evaporated and his eyes hardened.

"But it's been hard for me too. I was with my genin team for an entire year and a half. How do you think I felt when Minato suddenly told me that day that I'd be joining you guys?"

"It's not the same."

"Yes it is!" Sasuke lightly grit his teeth but otherwise, upheld an indifferent face.

"Uchiha, you're not the only one who feels like someone they loved was replaced without your permission." Sasuke's facial expression hardened fractionally. She knew she was hitting on a sore spot, but it had to be hit If she had any chance of gaining acceptance from him.

"I feel like the people I grew close to were forcefully replaced as well, and I'm the one who left them. So we're feeling the same kind of pain, the same kind of sadness." Sasuke averted his gaze downwards, unwilling to look her in the eyes. With every passing second that Sasuke refused to look at her, she grew more frustrated. She was about to march up to him and force him to look at her when he slowly raised his head. The raw emotion swirling in his eyes made the breath hitch in her throat, and her eyes softened.

"But you didn't love your teammates like I loved her. You weren't betrothed to them like I was to her. You don't understand. You can't even begin to understand."

"That may be true, but I still cared about my teammates. And I don't plan to try and understand your pain. That would make me a shallow person who's just trying really hard to get under your skin." She took a tentative step forward and took another when she saw no reaction from Sasuke indicating he would move away. She stopped when she was about a foot and a half away from him.

"Uchiha," she sighed, "Sasuke, I can't say I'm sorry because I don't really know you or her, but I can say I'm sorry because the four of us, Kakashi, Naruto, you and I, are in this mess. If I just spoke up a little more when we were still in the office, we would have had a better chance to escape. But I didn't so for that I'm sorry." He stared at her intensely, raw emotion still swirling, violently, in the murky depths of his onyx eyes. Gently, she placed a hand on his shoulder, feeling as he tensed beneath her palm.

"Please, give me a chance. I haven't done anything so terrible to warrant your contempt. It's not the cards that we're dealt with that determine the outcome it's how we play with them. So please, let's just start over and let the past three weeks behind us go." She firmed her grip on his shoulder and gave him a solid look, desperately trying to communicate through her eyes, the best window to a person's soul, that she was being genuine, that she truly did want, with all her heart, the best success for Team Seven.

Several long seconds passed before she felt his body slowly relax, and saw his fierce countenance dissolve into one of resignation. She released her grip on his shoulder and extended her hand towards him as a sign of anew.

"Hi, I'm Sakura." She kept her tone soft afraid anything more would be too eager and undo all her efforts to get him to accept her.

"Hn." Sasuke gave her a small smirk before he disappeared in a whirl of dark green foliage. Sakura slowly brought her hand down, first surprised by his sudden exit, then content with the knowledge that Sasuke had just accepted her into Team Seven.

* * *

><p>When she closed the door of her house behind her, she looked up to find her mom standing on the midsection of the stairs, one hand on the railing, one hand on her hip wearing an angry expression. Sakura body flickered to her mom, gave her a peck on the cheek, said a grateful thank you and body flickered to her room where she smiled goofily behind her door.<p>

She took off the black jacket, brought it to her nose, closed her eyes and inhaled a long drag of air, allowing herself to become intoxicated by Sasuke's scent. This time, she actually moaned out loud from the sheer pleasure his smell was giving her. Opening her eyes, she stared at the moon shining brightly outside of her window. A smirk adorned her lips, softly cursing puberty for causing her hormones to skyrocket.

She threw the jacket onto her bed and reached for the hem of her shirt, about to pull it over her head, when an object flew out of one of the jacket's pockets and landed with a small bounce on her maroon comforter. It glowed under the rays of moonlight. She approached her bed and carefully grabbed the object in case it was fragile, lifting it into the air. Her mouth fell open in awe.

The object hanging on her index finger was a fan shaped locket made from pure gold. It dangled from a rope of intricately chained and interwoven pure gold. It was beautiful. It baffled Sakura why Sasuke would have something of this magnitude hidden so carelessly in one of the pockets of his jacket. A random stranger could walk by insert their vile hand into a pocket, and lo-and-behold walk away with the precious piece of jewelry.

"How in the world…?" She trailed off, mesmerized by the locket's radiance. It truly was a beautiful piece. She wondered what was contained within its hard exterior and almost succumbed to the urge to open it.

She shook her head to dispel the trance and placed the locket into one of the jacket pockets, hoping Sasuke didn't remember which pocket he initially put the locket in.

As she laid in bed, warm and cozy under her covers, thoughts of what was inside the locket filled up her brain until they were overflowing, spilling over the sides and falling into an ocean of memories and dreams. When her eyelids finally drooped shut, a brilliant fan shaped locket glowed like a star against the black shadows.

* * *

><p>Sasuke watched, perched atop the rooftop across her bedroom's balcony, as Sakura lifted his jacket to her nose and took a nice helping of his scent. He decided he would let her keep it for the night and get it back tomorrow, thinking he liked the way it engulfed her body, the hem stopping mid-thigh. He didn't regret his decision and smirked as Sakura emitted a moan of pleasure. One day, he'd be able to use this as blackmail.<p>

When she threw the jacket onto her bed he easily caught sight of the locket flying out. Sakura was just about to lift her shirt over her head when its glow drew her attention. He watched intently as she took it and held it up, captivated by its sheer beauty. She had probably never been so close to jewelry of that caliber.

It was amusing to watch her debate which pocket to return the locket to. She was probably wishing he wouldn't remember but he did. He had put it inside the inner left breast pocket. She was putting it inside the inner right.

Sasuke was about to jump off the rooftop when Sakura started to pull her shirt over her head again. He stared, transfixed, when a flawless creamy ivory body came into view, breasts veiled by a black sports bra. Sakura then proceeded to take off her black shorts, revealing black panties underneath. It was a good thing he was excellent at masking his chakra otherwise, she would have immediately sense it spike from his raging hormones. Just because he ignored the idiotic banshees screaming their love and devotion into his ears, it didn't mean he wasn't attracted to women.

He smirked darkly, thinking how easy it was to spy on Sakura. He wondered if he could catch her completely nude. He groaned when an image of a naked Sakura crossed his mind, mercilessly giving him a hard on. He grimaced, flying off the rooftop and almost flew towards home.

The cool wind was marvelous on his hot skin. Calming him down and repelling the lust just as he made it to his open bedroom window. Life in Team Seven was going to be either a living hell or a living heaven.

* * *

><p>He grunted, clutching his bleeding arm, trying to stem the blood flow. He glared at the tall metal spires protruding from each corner point of the village gates. The gates of the village were impenetrable by air meaning it was impossible to simply go over them. The spires were like invisible honing devices, spontaneously shooting out lethal lightning bolts and erecting a light barrier when it sensed a presence.<p>

He looked around the perimeter of the village gates. Platoons of guards constantly marched, keeping potentially dangerous outsiders form invading the village. He cursed silently. He wasn't anticipating the villages to receive word so fast. Damn his assistant. The four eyed annoyance was supposed to dispose of any messengers trying to send word to the other villages.

Now that the villages were aware, it would be much more difficult to penetrate and infect. He was almost considering blatantly attacking the village with one of his summoning animals when a thought occurred to him. His poison was potent but slow. He could simply slip it into a passing civilian who would introduce the toxin into the village. The guards wouldn't' suspect a thing with the rate the poison attacked the cells in the body. By the time the village was aware, it would be too late.

"Ku, ku, ku, nice try A, but your commendable defense can't stop poison." The whinny of a horse drew his attention and he smirked darkly as he caught sight of a weary looking traveler.

"Ssssssorry, but I'm going to need your body."

* * *

><p><strong>Don't forget, read and review!<strong>

**For those who I didn't mention up top, I apologize!**


	8. Sensations

**A/N:** Hello everyone! I don't really have much to say, so continue on!

**Qs & As:**

**Kame-hime said:** "That's so sweet...though it's a bit confusing about this 'different teams' issue. Maybe you should add a bit of their academy life background..."

_My response:_ They're all from Konoha Academy. In my story, Sakura initially belongs to another team and a different girl is a member of Team Seven (her identity will be revealed soon). The girl in Team Seven is basically murdered by poisoning during the final rounds of the chunin exams. So following the end of the exams, Sakura is taken from her original team and thrust into Team Seven. Naturally, the boys of Team Seven resent her addition but as the story progresses, you'll discover a shift in their attitudes.

**Quirming said:** "I thiiink an older Sakura (possibly Canon!Sakura)'s memories have somehow gotten mixed with WAF!Sakura's mind and memories, and what she's dreaming is actually those memories. In the beginning I thought she was conscious of it because she talked about a secret, but now it seems like she doesn't know what's going on either. But it seems like she's learning from the memories, regardless!"

_My response:_ Great inferences! You'll unravel the mystery as the story progresses!

**SasuSakuKawaii said:** "I didn't expect Sasuke's confession. Who would have though that he loved her that much. I wonder why he left the locket in the jacket...maybe he thought she would steal it?"

_My response:_ Actually, right now he doesn't love her but, love will eventually bloom. After all, this story is a SasuSaku love story is it not? And no, he does not think she would steal the locket.

**Kmae said:** "I wish there were some more romantic interaction in sasusaku!"

_My response:_ You got it dude!

**Chick182 said:** "why should sasuke use sakuras moaning as blackmail? he's going to reveal himself as a perverted guy :D and why is there jewelry in his jacket? i dont quite get that and how old are sakura, sasuke and naruto?"

_My response:_ Logically speaking, talking about a person's sounds, especially as a response to a stimulant like a scent, is mortifying to most people. Even if Sasuke looks like a perverted guy, it wouldn't be surprising since he is a good looking guy, and we all know good looking guys are playboys. The locket will be explained soon and as for their ages, Sakura is 13, and Sasuke and Naruto are both 12 going on 13. It sounds young but remember, they're not regular adolescents. They're ninjas, so their appearances and physiques would be different from regular civilians.

**ItachiLover16 said:** "I also love the fact that Itachi is in it and their parents are very much alive. :)"

_My response:_ I love that they're in it too!

**Standard disclaimer applies.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8 Sensations<strong>

Slivers of bright sunlight filtered in through Sakura's large bay windows, hitting her eyelids and arousing her from slumber.

Outside, the street was filled with the hustle and bustle of Konoha daily life. Vendors were enthusiastically calling to passing citizens, urging people of varying ages to purchase their products. Young children zigzagged through the crowds, laughing boisterously on their way to the park. People greeted each other good-naturedly, stopping to chit chat and listen to the gossip of the day.

Sakura's eyelids lazily fluttered open, revealing pools of deep glistening emerald. She stared blankly at her room's ceiling, adjusting to the new setting.

Her sleep was peaceful, surprisingly full of nice dreams void of any ambiguous images. Usually, she'd wake up confused, trying to decipher the dream, vision, conjured while she slept. But today, she awoke feeling mellow and content, as if something really good recently happened, upholding her current mood.

Briefly, she closed her eyes and waited patiently for the dream from last night to resurface. She knew that if she tried to remember it, nothing would pop up. So she relaxed her body and allowed her thoughts to drift, as if they were floating on the surface of a pool or ocean, moving along with the water's current and the gentle waves.

Flowers of various colors began to bloom against the darkness of her eyelids. They were pretty, delicate. She focused on them, noticing the way each petal looked so soft, like a cloud, making her wonder what it would feel like to sleep on something akin to a flower petal. After ten more seconds of looking at a sea of flowers, a brightly shining sun, a baby blue sky dotted with white fluffy clouds and a field of luscious green grass filled the background. The sun shined high in the sky, its rays warm and gentle. A second later, cool breezes swept the meadow, causing the flora to sway and her skin to pleasantly tingle. The sweet trill of birds filled the air, adding to the setting's tranquil quality.

The image looked and felt real, tangible. As she laid on the grass in the image, she could feel her bed sprout millions of green grass blades. As the rays of the sun warmed her skin, she could feel her body beginning to warm. As the singing of the birds lulled her to sleep, she could feel her body fully unwinding, preparing to return to the depths of slumber.

Suddenly, a calloused hand popped into view in the image and she watched as she grabbed the hand, swinging her body forward as the hand pulled her up. When she was standing on her two feet, she looked up to see who helped her up but was interrupted when a hand in real life fervently shook her shoulder. The last thing she glimpsed was white shorts and the hem of a blue shirt.

She slowly opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling for a millisecond before her eyes gravitated towards the figure standing next to her bed. It was her mom.

"Sakura, you need to get out of bed. Someone came by half an hour ago asking for you. He said something about training." Sakura's eyes widened in surprise.

She was surprised for three reasons: one, her mom wasn't angry at her for coming home late last night; two, someone had come to fetch her; and three, that someone was a boy.

"Ne, mom, who was the boy that came looking for me, and what exactly did he say about training?" She intentionally didn't question her mom's strangely calm mood in case it triggered her anger.

"I don't know. I've never seen him before. He had black hair and eyes, and he was wearing a blue high collared shirt and white shorts. He said you need to report to training ground three at eleven am." Sakura jolted up into a sitting position.

Her mom basically described Sasuke.

"That's Sasuke!"

"Sasuke? As in Uchiha Sasuke?"

"Yeah!" Her mom frowned.

"Mom? Why are you frowning?"

"Nothing." As quickly as the frown appeared on her mom's face, it vanished.

When the initial shock from learning Sasuke came to fetch her wore off, she remembered the other part to her mom's answer. She whipped her head to her bedside clock and almost swore out loud when she saw the blaring red digits. It was ten forty-five.

"Ah, mom, why didn't you wake me up when Sasuke came!"

Her mom shrugged.

"I tried but you swatted my hand away and turned on your side. When I tried again you tried to punch me." Her mom gave her a pointed look and Sakura groaned.

She had five minutes to get ready and ten minutes to get to the training grounds. As she got ready, her mom went back downstairs to probably get started on breakfast. Hastily, she brushed her teeth and slipped on her normal ninja garb, giving herself an extra three minutes by not washing her face or combing her hair. It wouldn't matter. She would be sweaty and disheveled by the end of the day.

Her eyes quickly scanned her room, trying to locate where she placed her shuriken pouch and kunai holster. Precious seconds ticked by as she desperately tried to find the damn weapon pouches. She couldn't be late to her first training session with Team Seven. It was against her morals and standards plus, she would just look bad overall. After three minutes passed, effectively canceling out the three minutes she saved, she forced herself to calm down and took a deep mind-clearing breath, closing her eyes and relaxing in a fashion similar to when she woke up from her sleep. After fifteen seconds, a memory began to take shape against the black of her eyelids.

When she got home from the gruesome escort mission, she had brusquely taken off the pouches and tossed them aside. She watched as they slid under her bed, but was too fatigued to care and dove onto her bed.

Sakura's eyes flew open and she wasted no time in dropping to her knees and looking underneath her bed. Sure enough, the pouches were lying where they had slid and stopped. She shot her arm out and grabbed the pouches, securing them in their usual locations on her body before running out of her room. Her foot barely touched the first step down when a gold fan shaped locket suddenly flashed in her mind's eye. She froze with one foot planted on the step, her hand gripping onto the stairs' railing.

Sasuke's jacket was still hanging on her coat rack. She swiveled on her foot and ran back into her room to grab the article of clothing. She paused before heading down the stairs, bringing the black military jacket right against her nose and inhaling deeply. Instantly, Sasuke's wonderful scent filled her nostrils, momentarily erasing every thought from her mind and filling it with images of him.

Sakura shook her head to dispel the trance and mentally slapped herself. It was embarrassing and mortifying to be fantasizing about Sasuke.

As she ran past the entryway to the kitchen, she couldn't help but freeze when she caught a whiff of the breakfast her mom was preparing. Her stomach rumbled loudly, causing her mom to turn her way and raise a single brow.

"Do you have time to eat?" Sakura groaned.

"No. If I eat I'm gonna be late. Do you have anything I can take with me?" Her mom placed a finger on her chin and looked up in a thoughtful manner. Five seconds passed before she left what she was cooking on the stovetop and headed for the refrigerator. She bent over and seemed to shuffle some objects around before pulling out a stick of dango.

"Will this-!" Sakura body flickered to her mom, grabbed the dango, gave her a peck on the cheek and body flickered to the front door.

"Thanks mom!" She hollered before stepping outside and closing the front door in a rush.

Once she was outside, she shuffled left and right on her feet, debating whether she should sprint to the training ground or use the rooftops. Sprinting would burn up a lot of energy and would leave her breathless by the time she arrived. Roof hopping would require little energy and a small amount of chakra. The choice was clear and she wasted no time in jumping onto the nearest roof, pumping chakra to her legs.

Unconsciously, she registered the beautiful weather and the lively atmosphere of the village. The weather was similar to the weather in her dream. The breeze was cool and the rays of sunlight were warm and gentle. A smile spread across her face, watching as about two dozen kids and toddlers laughed on the playground.

After eight minutes of roof hopping, the wide open plains of training ground three, broken by a forest of rich green foliage, came into view. She glanced at her watch and her eyes nearly bulged out of her sockets at the time. It was ten fifty-eight. She had two minutes to make it to the training ground. Pumping an additional amount of chakra to her legs, she increased her hopping pace, jumping off the last rooftop and onto solid ground. She landed in a crouch but swiftly shifted into a running pose, still pumping chakra into her legs to help her sprint to the training ground without overexerting herself.

Upon arriving to the training ground, and with twenty seconds to spare, she doubled over with her hands on her knees, gasping to catch her breath. She could care less that Naruto and Sasuke were staring strangely at her, probably wondering why she looked like she just ran a marathon.

"Are you alright? You look like you just ran a marathon." Naruto asked, a dribble of concern laced into his tone.

"Yeah – I'm – huh, huh – fine – huh, huh." She spoke in between big gulps of air, making her sound like she was speaking a foreign language.

"Huh?" The blond ball of sunshine stared at her confused, unable to catch her broken answer.

"She said she's fine dobe." Sasuke answered Naruto's question calmly, standing with his hands shoved into the pocket of his shorts.

"I know what she said Teme!" Naruto glared at Sasuke but the Uchiha simply turned his head the other way and mumbled something inaudible.

"What did you say!"

"I said yeah right loser." Sasuke smirked at Naruto, watching as Naruto's anger slowly spiked.

"Yeah! Well you're a-!"

"Okay enough! Naruto, I'm fine. Sasuke, stop taunting Naruto." Their mindless bantering was irritating her and the day barely started. After a few more seconds of deep breathing, her body reverted to its neutral state. And like the simple flick of a light switch, Naruto's mood reverted to its normally cheerful state.

"Ne, Sakura-chan, why were you running so fast?" Sakura looked at Naruto like he was stupid.

"I didn't wanna be late. Traning begins at eleven am right?" She raised an eyebrow and alternated looking between Naruto and Sasuke.

"Aa, but you wouldn't have been late." It was Sasuke who answered her question and he was looking at her with an amused smirk on his face.

Sakura stared at the Uchiha confused.

"Huh? Wait, you told my mom eleven, and now you're saying it is eleven but, you're also saying I wouldn't have been late. I don't understand." She chewed on her bottom lip and stared at the ground in thought, trying to analyze her situation and figure out why she could have spent a little more time getting ready at home instead of rushing her ass to the training ground. Naruto's vainly suppressed snickers reached her ears, she glared at him.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing, it's just that your being new and all, you don't know that even though Kakashi sets the time for when we meet, he's always late. So seeing you all riled up is amusing." Sakura gawked at Sasuke, truly surprised by his revelation.

"He's always late." Sakura mumbled lowly to herself, letting the new piece of information register in her brain.

"He's always late."

"He's always late!"

"He's always late!" Her voice rose in a crescendo, her surprise melting into anger.

"What do you mean he's always late! Why would he be late if he's the one setting the time! That's, that's, stupid! What kind of person sets a time and ends up being the one who's always late!" She knew she was ranting now but she couldn't help it. She could have properly pruned herself and even ate a nice hot plate of her mom's delicious food.

She looked up to find the last of Naruto's giggles escaping his body and Sasuke still smirking at her.

"And you," she pointed an accusing finger at Sasuke to which he raised a single elegant eyebrow, "why didn't you tell my mom that I could come late! I could have-!" A loud rumble from her stomach interrupted her, causing her cheeks to flush a light shade of red in embarrassment. Naruto was unable to contain his mirth and burst out in a fit of laughter.

"I didn't think I needed to. I figured you'd be late anyways." Sakura glared daggers at Sasuke.

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, just that I thought you'd spend extra time fixing yourself up than spend extra time training."

Sakura's mouth fell open in shock from Sasuke's assumption. He thought she was a prissy girly girl who spent more time on enhancing appearances than enhancing abilities. She was about to march straight up to him and punch him square in the jaw for being sexist when he suddenly disappeared. She halted in her step and whirled around, searching the area, trying to sense his presence. Twenty seconds passed and he returned with a strange red fruit in his hand. He held it out to her, waiting for her to take it.

"And what is that?" She prudently studied the fruit, determining whether it was safe to eat or if it was poisonous.

Sasuke sighed.

"Relax, it's a fruit that grows around here. It's safe to eat." Sakura reached out to grab the red fruit but stopped halfway and dropped her arm. Sasuke looked at her with a quirked eyebrow.

"What?"

"First, say you're sorry." Sasuke looked incredulous.

"What! Sorry for what!"

"For being sexist and assuming that I'd rather spend time prettying up than honing my skills just because I'm a girl." Sakura crossed her arms over her chest, making a point that she wouldn't accept the fruit without an apology.

The two of them glared at each other for a few more seconds, Naruto alternating his gaze between the two of them, before Sasuke finally surrendered with a sigh.

"Fine, I'm sorry." Sakura searched Sasuke's eyes for honesty and was content to find it. Nodding her head, she took the fruit from him and bit into it. Instantly, its juices filled her mouth and the first thing she noticed was that the flavor profile transitioned from bitter to sweet.

"It's good. What kind of fruit is this?" She looked at Sasuke expectantly but he simply shrugged, so she turned to Naruto but received a similar response. She dropped her arm with the fruit and stared blankly at her two new teammates.

"So you give me this fruit and you don't' even know what it is. How are you so sure it's safe to eat?"

"Because I made Naruto and Sasuke eat them and they're still alive."

Sakura whirled around, caught off guard by the appearance of a new voice. Kakashi was standing behind her, one hand holding up the same orange book he was always reading and the other in his pants' pocket. She didn't even feel him coming, let alone appear out of thin air.

"Yo."

"When did you-!"

"Kakashi-sensei you're late!"

"…"

Kakashi ignored Naruto's outburst, choosing to let his sole visible eye fall on Sakura. She fidgeted under his scrutinizing gaze but otherwise, bravely returned his stare with bold eyes. After several seconds he was the first one to break their staring competition and glanced at Naruto then Sasuke, before returning to her.

"Welcome to training ground three and your first sparring session with Team Seven. Let's get started shall we?"

Sakura unconsciously tightened her grip on the fruit, the added pressure causing it to release a small stream of juice. Even though Kakashi didn't voice it, he didn't fully trust her and had already sized her up.

It was infuriating.

* * *

><p>Sasuke watched Naruto and Sakura spar from his spot on a tree branch with growing interest, focusing more on Sakura than Naruto. He noticed several things about her.<p>

Her movements, though not entirely graceful, were fluid. She would wait for Naruto to move before moving herself. It was a method of fighting he'd seen from numerous medical-ninjas. From what he could deduce, the method increased the medic's chances of remaining uninjured. By anticipating and waiting for their opponent to strike, medics evaded more effectively. A necessary fighting style if a medic hoped to survive long enough to heal their team.

That was another thing Sasuke noticed. Sakura's fighting style, supported by her displays of chakra control courtesy of being able to smash the ground and emit healing chakra, led him to believe that she would become a medical-ninja. If she did become a medic, it would drastically improve Team Seven's strength. He, Kakashi and Naruto were constantly at the forefront of battles and thus, were the ones who endured the brunt of attacks. They usually finished battles with quite a number of injuries. Having a medic on the team would allow them to exert more power and prolong missions. He knew Sakura also possessed a brilliant mind, having paid enough attention to her in their academy days to know that aside from him, she also received top marks in their class.

He smirked when Naruto's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets when Sakura punched the earth and caused boulders the size of chairs to fly into the air. It wasn't too overwhelming but of course, the dobe always exaggerated things. He saw the gears spinning in Sakura's mind. She was also adaptable. Using Naruto's momentary relapse and the cover of the strewn up earth, she darted through the suspended rubble with a kunai held firmly in one hand. She was going in for the kill.

While Sakura appeared to be a fragile young girl, she was actually a brutal bull. Once she was on the rampage she could cause massive destruction with her two little fists. It really piqued Sasuke's interest. He needed to know who taught her those skills and when had she learned them. It irked him to know that some powerful ninja was teaching Sakura without his knowledge. He wasn't jealous. He just liked to be well informed and aware.

He glanced at Kakashi. The silver haired man was leaning on a tree opposite from him, on the other side of the field. Kakashi was staring intently at Sakura, observing her and calculating her power. Sasuke wasn't blind. He caught the distrust in his single storm gray eye when he appeared behind Sakura. Kakashi probably thought Sakura would subtract instead of add to the team.

Sasuke watched the different emotions splay across his sensei's face in a revolving cycle – surprise, then amusement, followed by a tinge of pride and finally acceptance. Kakashi was reevaluating Sakura, resizing her strength and skill. Although Sakura was proving her capability in the spar, Sasuke knew she still needed to work to gain Kakashi's trust.

He averted his gaze back to Naruto and Sakura. She was still on the offensive, swinging dangerous looking punches at Naruto's vital spots. Luckily for Naruto, he was faster than Sakura, able to dodge her attacks a second before they landed. He chuckled when he caught the expression on Sakura's face. Her mouth was set into a grim line and her eyes burned with fury and determination. It was good to see those emotions in her eyes, they conveyed strength.

He watched as a smirk lit up on Naruto's face. The blond idiot probably came up with a plan and was about to switch from being on the defensive to being on the offensive.

After one last swing from Sakura, Naruto jumped back about thirty meters, effectively creating space between him and Sakura. Expectedly, Sakura moved forward after him but was prevented by a hand shooting from the earth and grasping onto her ankle. She turned around with wide eyes, mistake, and looked down to see what was holding onto her foot. She tried, in vain, to yank her leg free. Deciding it was too much of a hassle, she bent over keen on slicing off the hand with her kunai but was again prevented when another hand shot up and latched onto her forearm. A second later, two more hands on the other side grabbed onto her other foot and forearm, effectively cutting off movement.

Sakura struggled in their grasp, trying to break free. Sharingan activated, Sasuke could see chakra building up in her limbs. She was definitely a bull, planning to escape her incapacitated state by brute force. But she was too slow and Naruto appeared before her with a powerful swirling mass of chakra spinning rapidly in the palm of his hand. He had a triumphant smirk on his face. He won the spar.

Naruto dispelled the chakra in his hand then released his shadow clones. Sakura rubbed the spots where the hands gripped tightly. From his spot on the branch, Sasuke could just make out circular red rings. He jumped down and headed towards the two, noticing how Kakashi pushed off his tree trunk and mimicked his actions heading for Naruto and Sakura. As he approached them, he could see the new expression on Sakura's face. She looked pissed, probably mad that she lost.

"Not bad, not bad." Sasuke smirked at her. He waited for her reaction, watching carefully as her eyes widened than narrowed. He enjoyed riling her up, especially if it was him riling her up.

"What do you mean not bad? Look at him." She pointed at Naruto and he followed her outstretched appendage.

Naruto was disheveled and looked pretty beat up. He had a bruise forming on his left cheek.

"What you meant to say was, pretty fucking awesome." She smirked at him, challenging him to deny it. How wrong she was to think he wouldn't rise to the challenge. If anything, it propelled him to ruffle her feathers a little more just so he could see her face flush with brilliant red anger.

"No, I meant not bad." She looked incredulous before she looked pissed again, the expected blush coloring her cheeks.

A second later Kakashi finally joined them.

"Hmm, you're strong." He said simply. Sakura arched a pink eyebrow.

"Don't underestimate me. I'm just as capable as Naruto and Sasuke, and I can fend my own." Her eyes were pools of blazing emerald, fierce and impassioned.

The last thing Sasuke noticed that day, although he probably noticed it from previous days, was that Sakura was a fiery kunoichi, a little spitfire with spunk.

"Against other people, but not me." He couldn't help it. There was just something about seeing her flustered and frustrated by his taunting that allured him.

"Oh yeah Uchiha? Let's test that theory." He smirked at her. He was more than willing to fight her if she was so bent on proving herself. It would allow him to test her limits first-hand.

"Not today. For now, go home and get some rest. Meet me at the village gates tomorrow morning at seven am. We have a mission." Kakashi left them no room for remarks and disappeared in a whirlwind of leaves. He watched the final leaf float to the ground before looking up to find Naruto smiling goofily and a frown on Sakura's face.

"We have another mission dattebayo!" Naruto pumped a fist into the air, happy that they were going on another mission so soon after their last one.

Sasuke sighed.

"Shut up Dobe, you're too loud." Naruto's countenance fell and immediately morphed into a glare.

"Actually, I'm glad we're going on another mission. After what happened to Toshiaki-kun, I feel like another mission would be redeeming." Sasuke turned to Sakura. The frown was gone from her face and was replaced by a thoughtful expression.

"Hn."

Sakura sighed.

"You know Sasuke, it's hard to know what you mean when most of your answers are monosyllables."

"Hn." Sasuke smirked when Sakura's face dropped and one eyebrow started twitching. It was so fun and easy to irritate her.

"Hey, let's get some ramen at Ichiraku's!" Naruto piped up.

Behind them, the sun was setting over the mountaintops, casting a fading orange glow over the landscape. The pastel oranges, reds and pinks coloring the sky were slowly transitioning into deep swaths of indigo, blue-violet and black. He could catch the twinkling of stars as the day transitioned to night.

Returning his gaze back to Naruto and Sakura, he found the pinkette with furrowed brows, contemplating on whether she should accompany them or not.

"I don't know." She finally replied.

"Aww, c'mon Sakura-chan, it'll be good I promise! Ramen is the best thing in the world and Ichiraku's serves the best ramen in the world!" To emphasize his point Naruto spread his arms wide to indicate the breadth of ramen's and Ichiraku's quality.

Sakura still looked hesitant.

Sasuke sighed.

"I'll walk you home afterwards so your mom doesn't get mad at you for coming home late by yourself." He gazed into her eyes, briefly noting how they sparkled beautifully in the fading light of the sun. He saw the uncertainty swirling in their depths, watched as it faded into something akin to trust.

"Okay but we can't stay long."

"Hn." Sakura smiled and he smirked back.

"Alright, let's go!"

The walk to Ichiraku's was surprisingly quiet. Naruto didn't excessively ramble, settling for walking with his hands laced lazily behind his head, a cheery smile plastered on his face. Sakura seemed to be lost in her own thoughts, hands clasped behind her back and a small smile of her own present on her face as she watched little kids ahead of them chase each other.

Naruto was in between them walking several feet ahead, Sakura on his right and he on his left. Taking advantage of Sakura's absentmindedness, he thoroughly studied her.

She was of average height, as tall as Naruto but shorter than himself. Her hair was long, ending between her shoulder blades at the middle of her back. Each pink strand looked silky smooth and soft to the touch. He had the sudden urge to run his hands through her hair to test his observation. Her skin was the color of ivory, creamy and soft. She was blemish free aside from the few light cuts from her earlier spar marring her skin. Unsurprisingly, she was mostly thin and lanky, which was expected from a girl who was only thirteen years old, and yet he could clearly see the definition of her arms and legs. Moving onto her face, he noticed she had a wide forehead which she tried to cover up with bangs framing her face. She had a button nose, plump pink lips and a slightly pointed chin. She was very pretty.

However, her most striking feature, her best feature, the one thing that arrested him was her big almond-shaped green eyes. He'd seen green eyes before but he'd never seen green eyes as beautiful and mesmerizing as hers. They weren't a regular green but a deep rich emerald. They were like the color of fresh spring evergreens. But it wasn't just the color that drew him in, it was their expressiveness, the way they clearly displayed her emotions. Every single emotion Sakura felt shined in her emerald orbs and for some odd reason, it thrilled him that he could see them.

He continued to stare at Sakura for a few more minutes until she sensed someone staring at her and turned her head in his direction. He immediately turned his head to in front of him, feeling heat rising on the back of his neck.

The rest of the way to Ichiraku's he could feel Sakura stealing glances at him, giving him questioning looks. She was probably wondering why he was staring at her so intently.

Upon arriving at the ramen stand, Naruto wasted no time in sitting on one of the stools and slapping his hand on the counter to call the attention of Ayame. She smiled at him already knowing his order before he could speak. Sakura took the seat on Naruto's right so he took the seat on his left.

Ayame looked at Sakura quizzically.

"Is she your girlfriend Naruto-kun?"

Sakura blushed and Naruto spit out the water he was drinking.

"W-What! No, no, she's my new teammate, Sakura."

Ayame stared at Sakura for several seconds before mumbling a small apology and offering a smile. She took Sakura's order before glancing at Sasuke.

"I'll get whatever the Dobe ordered." Ayame nodded her head before turning around to handover their orders to Teuchi.

Within minutes, all three of them had steaming bowls of ramen placed before them. They each said their thanks before breaking their chopsticks and digging in. They ate in silence, each of them engrossed in their own thoughts with the exception of Naruto who was engrossed in his ramen. He was practically inhaling the stuff. Sasuke looked to Sakura to see how she'd react and almost snorted when he saw the revolted look on her face.

After they were finished eating, after Naruto finished his tenth bowl to be exact, they said thank you to Ayame and Teuchi before saying goodbye to each other and branching off towards their respective homes. Being a man of his word, Sasuke accompanied Sakura home.

The two of them walked in a comfortable silence, enjoying the cool breezes gently sweeping the street and the sound of people as they unwound and relaxed for the night, chatting animatedly despite the exhaustion they no doubt felt.

The moon was suspended high in the sky, shedding pale light onto the earth. The sky itself wasn't completely darkened. A segment of the horizon was still painted with patches of orange, red and pink. There wasn't a cloud to block their view of the heavens but only a few stars could be seen, the rest blocked out by the bright lights of the village.

"Doesn't it suck that we can't see the stars at night?"

Sasuke glanced at Sakura. She was walking with her hands clasped behind her back but her face was turned upwards to the sky, a small sad smile decorating her lips. Staring at her bittersweet expression Sasuke felt something stir inside of him, but he couldn't put a name to the feeling. Thinking he'd identify the strange sensation another time, he returned to looking back up at the night sky.

"I know a place where you can see every star visible to the human eye."

"Really?" He turned to Sakura again and felt the breath hitch in his throat at the way she was looking at him. She was smiling goofily and her eyes shined brightly with longing and excitement, like emerald stars.

"A-Aa."

"Do you think we could go there?" She looked at him expectantly, hopefully.

"Now?"

"Well, no, but maybe some other time?" Sasuke furrowed his brows, thinking about her request.

"Aa."

"Really! Cool!" Sakura smiled brilliantly at him making him feel warm and content inside that he could make her smile so happily, that she smiled so happily for him.

Sakura stopped walking and turned her whole body to face him. They arrived at her house.

"Thanks for walking me home Sasuke." Her voice was soft and gentle, a side of Sakura he'd never experienced before. He liked it.

"Aa." He answered gruffly. Sakura looked at him with one raised eyebrow before laughing light heartedly, the sound music to his ears.

"I guess I should start getting used to your monosyllabic answers and studying them so I know when you mean yes, and when you mean no, and when you mean something else entirely."

He smirked at her.

"Or maybe, you can just stop being annoying and one day I'll actually say more than one word." He was expecting the smile on her face to vanish but instead she smiled cheekily.

"Why would I do that when you just said a whole sentence right now?" Sasuke felt one of his eyebrows twitch but nonetheless was amused at her witty response.

"Hn, go inside now." Sakura shook her head before walking up to him and doing something that knocked the wind right out of him and caused his body to tense up from head to toe. She kissed him on his cheek.

"Thanks again for walking me home, Sasuke-kun," she whispered into the shell of his ear before disappearing inside the confines of her home, and closing the front door with a soft click.

For what seemed like a long while, Sasuke stood rooted to his spot, trying to let what just occurred to sink into his brain.

She kissed him.

She kissed him on the cheek.

She called him Sasuke-kun.

Slowly, the numbness melted and gave way to a warm tingling sensation. As he walked home he felt something he hadn't truly felt since his betrothed's death, happiness.

It also didn't register to him until he was lying on his bed that even though Sakura brought his jacket with her to the training session, he didn't mind to ask for it back and let her wear it back home.

She was only a member of Team Seven for roughly a month and already she was affecting him in so many drastic ways.

"Kami, Sakura, what are you doing to me?"

* * *

><p>She stood with her back against her front door, her heart racing a thousand miles a minute. She brought her fingers to her lips where a pleasant tingling sensation still lingered. She couldn't believe she actually kissed him on the cheek and added the endearing suffix of affection to his name.<p>

The moment felt so right. They were just talking and laughing, and staring. Before she knew it, she was walking towards him, as if she was magnetized to him, tiptoeing and planting her lips on his cheek. She also felt compelled to call him Sasuke-kun. She neither regretted the kiss nor the suffix.

She could still feel Sasuke's strong chakra lingering outside her house so she looked out the front window and saw him standing frozen to his spot, wide-eyed.

Finally, he unfroze and started walking home, but she didn't miss the smile that bloomed on his handsome face. It was the first genuine smile she'd seen from him and she was the cause of it. Sakura's heart swelled with hundreds of butterflies.

That night, she went to sleep jubilant, a big goofy smile on her face. Allowing herself a moment of utter femininity, she brought the blanket up to her face and squealed.

She turned on her side, facing her large unveiled bay window, and gazed at the lovely moon shining so brightly in the night sky.

"Sasuke Uchiha, you jerk, what the hell are you doing to me?"

Her eyelids grew heavy and her breathing became deep even breaths. Unknowingly, she slept that night wearing Sasuke's jacket. So every time she inhaled, his scent would fill her nostrils and fill her senses. For the second consecutive night, her dreams were absent of ambiguity and filled with clarity, of a handsome boy with raven hair and abysmal pools of inky black. She dreamt about Sasuke Uchiha.

* * *

><p>He was seething. Although he was successful in injecting the poison into Kumogakure, he still had a difficult time.<p>

"You fool, I told you to intercept any messengers the villages would send out and kill them. What the hell were you doing?" In front of him, the silver haired young man frowned and fixed his round spectacles to sit atop the bridge of his nose.

"I did. I even made sure to kill all of their messenger animals."

"Then explain why Kumo was being extra prudent tonight!"

The frown on his pupil's face deepened as he wracked his brain for a possible answer but came up blank.

"I don't know."

"You don't know!" His rage exploded and he summoned one of his snakes only to brutally hack at it with a kunai.

"I'm sorry."

"Silence! I don't care for your apology. Just figure out why the villages are taking extra precautions now." The silver haired young man flinched before bowing at his waist and heading out of his master's bedroom.

Sharp yellow eyes glared at his bedroom door. His plans just escalated to a whole new level of complicated. The proof was in his need to recuperate. He glanced down at his charred arms and body and cursed loudly. He realized too little too late that the charring wasn't normal. His skin continued to blacken but at an extremely slow pace thanks to the amount of chakra he was pumping into his skin cells. His eyes narrowed as he felt shocking sensations coursing through his body.

"Lightning hmm…"

* * *

><p>Hopefully, this chapter was as enjoyable to read as I enjoyed writing it.<p>

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